The AFR View

End the age of entitlement to taxpayer-funded political ads

Australia needs to get on top of the entitlement mentality to get the budget back in shape. A place to start would be for politicians to set an example by ending the practice of paying for political ads out of the budget.

Jan 3, 2025 – 7.00pm

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As AFR Weekend reveals today, Labor spent $251 million on government advertising in the 2023-24 financial year.

It represents a 40 per cent increase year-on-year at a time when the budget is deteriorating into bigger than previously forecast deficits across the next four years.

The Australian Financial Review’s succinct take on the principles at stake in major domestic and global stories – and what policy makers should do about them.