Patrick Condren promises to stop ratepayer funds for political advertising
Labor’s Brisbane lord mayoral candidate has made a pledge to address one of the biggest issues dogging the current LNP administration.
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LABOR’S lord mayoral candidate for Brisbane has promised new guidelines to ensure ratepayer money is not spent on political advertising.
The Courier-Mail can reveal Patrick Condren will introduce a new advertising code of conduct for Brisbane City Council, based on the State Government’s, if he is elected next March.
Labor set to ‘do a Sallyanne’ on LNP lord mayor
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner’s face printed more than 4 million times
Labor’s Patrick Condren slams $6m Brisbane City Council ad spending spree
Since April, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner’s face has been printed on more than four million ratepayer funded brochures, flyers and other publications (although 2.6 million of those were editions of the Living in Brisbane newsletter).
The printing and distribution of one of those flyers, a Brisbane Metro pamphlet, cost ratepayers nearly $100,000.
“This is a rort, pure and simple,” Mr Condren said.
“The residents of Brisbane should not be paying for the LNP’s political advertising.
“This unelected Lord Mayor has never been voted for by the residents of Brisbane and yet he’s treating their money like his personal piggy bank.”
The Queensland Government’s code, which applies to its agencies and entities but not Ministerial Offices, states advertising “must not attempt to foster a positive impression of a political party or promote party-political interests”.
That includes giving prominence to the voice or image of state politicians or candidates.
“This will bring Brisbane City Council in line with the Queensland Government, which already prohibits political advertising and promotion,” Mr Condren said.
“Under this new code, all advertising of Council initiatives will have to provide a real benefit to Brisbane residents and not be for the promotion of any politician.”
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the pledge was “purely electioneering” and said the council already had an advertising code of conduct that forbid political adveritising or promotion.
The Courier-Mail asked if a new advertising code should be introduced to stop all councillors using their image on communications to prevent the percepetion of promoting political parties.
“Well, we already have this (a code of conduct) and what we’re promoting in the community, what we’re communicating in the community is budget initiatives that are funded council initiatives.”
“These aren’t party political initiatives, they are programs of the Brisbane City Council, now the LNP happen to be in adminstration but we would expect the same thing to happen if Labor were in administration.
“It is absolutely proper and appropriate that Brisbane residents know about the initiatives that council is working on and give them the opportunity to have their say,” he said.
He former Labor Lord Mayor Jim Soorley, in power from 1991 to 2003, did the same type of advertising and Labor councillors routinely sent out newsletters plastered with photos of themselves.
“Then they criticise critisize the Lord Mayor and administration for doing what they’re doing,” he said.
Labor deputy leader Cr Kara Cook’s face appeared 13 times in a Budget newsletter for her Morningside Ward, which cost ratepayers $5212.
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