Kooyong MP Monique Ryan questioned over HECS debt posters claim

Posters saying independent MP Monique Ryan “just cut HECS debt” have raised eyebrows as the member for Kooyong pushes for a higher standard of honesty in political advertising laws.

Teal MP Dr Monique Ryan has been accused of stretching the truth in her own promotional material despite campaigning for a higher standard of honesty in political advertising laws.

The Member for Kooyong has been criticised for a post in which she posed with supporters in front of massive posters and claimed that she “just cut HECS debts”.

Advertising experts have questioned whether the message would pass the test under the “desperately” needed political advertising reforms she has been campaigning for.

80 volunteers at 12 locations in 1 day!

We’ve already done so much, like successfully pushing to reduce HECS debts for 3 million Australians, but there is a lot more to do. pic.twitter.com/nn1E5q0jKh

— Dr Monique Ryan MP (@Mon4Kooyong) June 1, 2024

Education Minister Jason Clare last month announced the federal government would wipe $3bn from HECS debts, backdating a decision to cap the indexation rate to be the lower of either the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Wage Price Index (WPI) to June 2023.

It a followed a recommendation from the Australian Universities Accord in February that loan growth does not outpace wages growth.

Dr Ryan was among a raft of crossbench MPs who had been pushing for changes to the way HECS debts were indexed, launching a petition in March calling on the government to make higher education debts easier to pay off.

Education Minister Jason Clare. Picture: Martin Oldman

But Regeneration Media CEO Natalie McKenna said Dr Ryan was in a grey area because the government made the decision to cut HECS debts.

“If she has taken credit for that, that’s not quite truthful,” Dr McKenna said.

“Being an advocate for truth in political advertising, I think it’s a bit of a fine line she’s walking here.

“It doesn’t just get decided by an independent minister, it has to go through a process has and she can take credit for the petition only.

“She’s potentially delving into some reputational issues, so she probably needs to rethink the way she’s communicating.”

Advertising guru Dee Madigan said Dr Ryan was taking credit where it was “not entirely due”.

Dr Monique Ryan unseated Liberal Josh Frydenberg at the 2022 federal election. Picture: Martin Ollman

“I wouldn’t do a billboard like that because people would say, ‘well no, you didn’t’ … it’s more likely to backfire on you,” the owner of Campaign Edge said.

Ms Madigan said reforms to address misinformation online were a greater priority than truth in political advertising ahead of the next election because claims were going unchecked, including on social media.

In defending her posts, Dr Ryan told the Herald Sun the government had acknowledged it’s changes to HECS indexation were responding to pressures from the 288,000 Australians who signed her petition.

“The petition shows what we can do if we listen to the community and then stand up and demand change,” she said.

Dr Ryan has previously raised concerns that “we hold our politicians to a lower standard than our businesspeople”, who operate in a world where it is “illegal to mislead or deceive consumers”.

Victorian Liberal Senator Jane Hume said: “The people of Kooyong are smart enough to see through Dr Ryan’s transparent puffery and see the inherent hypocrisy of standing in front of a sign that is clearly inaccurate while campaigning on truth in political advertising.”

A government spokeswoman said the government was consulting on changes related to federal elections, including truth in political advertising.

“Every parliamentarian has the responsibility to answer for the claims they make in their communities,” she said.

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Originally published as Kooyong MP Monique Ryan questioned over HECS debt posters claim