Opinion: Scandal of Labor’s propaganda masked as economic plan
Taxpayers funding the Labor election campaign under the guise of the “unite and recover” COVID-19 marketing campaign is one of the great political scandals of our lifetime, writes Peter Gleeson.
Opinion
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The Palaszczuk Government hasn’t ruled out spending more obscene amounts of taxpayer money on advertising its post COVID-19 economic recovery plan right up until the election on October 31.
The state goes into caretaker mode on October 3, when all government decisions are effectively put on hold.
But there is no legislative requirement for the government to stop its “unite and recover’’ propaganda blitzkrieg after it changed the law in December last year.
In “exceptional circumstances’’, a government can continue to advertise right up until election day. No doubt the government will deem a pandemic “exceptional circumstances’’.
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It was corruption buster Tony Fitzgerald who identified in his report in 1989 that this sort of government advertising could be masked as “propaganda’’ and he recommended it be stopped six months out from an election.
The marketing spend telling us how good the government is handling COVID-19 comes on top of the government paying former Labor Party aides, including former ALP state director Mike Kaiser, more than $500,000 for COVID polling and consultancy advice.
New government figures show the Department of Premier and Cabinet spent more on marketing and advertising in the last six months than in the entire previous financial year.
The spend was $5.8 million – up until June 30 – with the lion’s share of this spent on the economic recovery push.
To put that into context, in the 2018-19 year, the government spent $2.8 million on advertising for the entire 12 month period.
This data does not include the last three months when the government got really serious about demonstrating its COVID wares via taxpayer-funded marketing.
This is one of the great political scandals of our lifetime. Taxpayers should not be funding Labor’s re-election campaign. They can dress it up however they like but the bottom line is it is shameless and morally bankrupt.
People are being bombarded with “unite and recover’’ ads on everything from billboards to petrol bowsers. A Kedron cricket oval which has recently been returfed is passed by hundreds of walkers each day. The fencing is adorned by a unite and recover signage. How is re-grassing a cricket oval helping us unite and recover?
My Kremlin spies say even Russian president Vladimir Putin is keeping an eye on the Queensland Government’s propaganda blitz.
“Get me Kaiser on the phone,’’ my Russian spy overheard Putin saying last week.
“This is the election model I want. We tell everybody how good we are, and we use taxes to advertise how good we are.
“We poll the people to make sure they are happy with our performance and we use taxpayer roubles to do that.
“Then we bring our old KGB comrades in and pay them to do the polling and provide advice, again using taxpayer roubles.
“We dress it up as a necessary COVID-19 response. It’s magnificent. Boris (his chief aide), why didn’t you think of this? Where’s Kaiser?’’
Labor faces challenge in north Queensland
NORTH Queensland is shaping up as Queenmaker at the October 31 election.
Seats like Barron River, Thuringowa, Mundingburra, Keppel and Whitsundays are seen as bellwether contests.
The Labor Party only has to lose two seats to be in trouble. The two key issues in North Queensland are youth crime and the Palaszczuk government’s draconian response to COVID-19.
Despite not seeing a COVID-19 case for months, the government’s sledgehammer, one-size-fits-all approach to restrictions has angered not only small businesses but customers.
Townsville Enterprise chairman Kevin Gill\has written to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk saying existing social distancing restrictions — in particular the 4sq m rule — is costing businesses between 30 -70 per cent of their normal turnover.
“South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia and Northern Territory governments have all adopted a one person per 2sq m density rule,’’ Gill says.
“We are requesting the health advice be reviewed based on the latest data available with a view to easing restrictions.’’
Longboard Bar and Grill on The Strand says the “no standing’’ rule had destroyed its bar business.
“One can stand and have a coffee and not get COVID but put a beer in their hand and they are susceptible,’’ management said.
“The double standards are killing us. Sports are allowed 10,000 guests. We have local chefs going to South Australia where the 2sq m rule is in place and businesses are thriving.’’
The word is Cairns is worse. Labor has some real challenges in North Queensland