Frivolous Labor’s record-breaking $50m failure on advertising

The former big-spending Labor state government splashed $139,000 on advertising every day in the financial year leading up to the election, but Queenslanders saw right through them.

Former premier Steven Miles in front of one of his Miles Doing What Matters slogans. Picture: Adam Head

The former Labor state government racked up a $50.7m advertising bill in the financial year leading up to the election, new data has revealed.

The staggering $50.7m advertising outlay in 2023/24 – or $139,000 per day – is the largest ever recorded and a whopping 58 per cent increase compared to the previous year.

And the price tag doesn’t include the four weeks before the then-Treasurer’s August 1 ban on new government advertising outside public safety and recruitment campaigns.

Nearly half of the advertising spend can be attributed to three departments – Health, Transport and Main Roads, and State Development.

This would have included the $2.03 million between March and June the former Labor government revealed it had pumped into spruiking the Big Build program across television, radio, digital, and billboards.

The state government’s $50.7m spend in 2023/24 eclipsed the previous record of $37.7m funnelled into advertising in 2016/17 – the financial year leading up to the 2017 election.

Steven Miles and Labor spent big. Picture: Shae Beplate.

A spokeswoman for newly-minted Treasurer David Janetzki slammed the spend as evidence Labor had attempted, and failed, “to create an advertising gerrymander to steal the election”.

The LNP has also continued to take umbrage at Labor for co-opting the state government’s “Doing What Matters” slogan as then-Premier Steven Miles’ catchcry of “Miles Doing What Matters”, in a move that ensured the messaging spilt over into the election campaign arena.

Grattan Institute analysis from 2022 found politicised advertising can “create an uneven playing field, especially close to elections” as governments “exploit their incumbency to spend big on advertising to boost their image”.

Premier David Crisafulli, during the election, had promised Queenslanders they would see a “serious reduction in marketing and promotional costs”.

“I’m going to make this point … you will not see the snowstorm of advertising right up until the eleventh hour, deep into September where a government, desperate to cling to power uses your money to try and convince Queenslanders that they haven’t been that bad,” he said.

“That will not occur. I have very firm views on that.”

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has promised to cut back on the spending. Picture: Office of the Premier

Labor’s final state budget in June laid out plans to save $3bn over four years by asking Queensland’s ballooning public service to cut down on travel, advertising, and use of consultants.

Under the plan then-Treasurer Cameron Dick ruled there would be no extra money spent on advertising after August 1 unless for recruitment or community safety purposes.

A spokeswoman for the Opposition said government advertising has an “important role in keeping Queenslanders informed” before pointing out it was Labor that “introduced new caps on advertising” that came in on August 1.

“The LNP are in government now and they should tell Queenslanders if they will keep the ban,” she said.