Auditor-General to probe Morrison Government’s taxpayer-funded energy policy advertising campaign

THE chief public-sector watchdog will probe a taxpayer-funded advertising campaign to sell the Morrison Government’s signature energy policy.

A TAXPAYER-funded advertising campaign to sell the Coalition Government’s signature energy policy will be probed by the chief public-sector watchdog.

The government has spent at least $9.5 million on the “Powering Forward” campaign, which talks up the government’s reforms to the energy sector including the stalled National Energy Guarantee.

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The Herald Sun can reveal Auditor-General Grant Hehir will review the campaign as part of an audit into the government’s advertising spending.

The campaign — which includes prominent advertisements across television, print, radio and online — claims the government has “turned the corner on electricity prices”.

In a letter to the Auditor-General, Opposition assistant energy spokesman Pat Conroy said the campaign’s slogan was in breach of the government’s advertising guidelines.

He said it was a “party political” statement and was not accompanied by any evidence.

Mr Hehir wrote back to the MP confirming he would look into the campaign as part of an audit into government advertising.

The chief public sector watchdog will probe a taxpayer-funded advertising campaign to sell the federal government’s energy policy. Picture: Brendan Radke

The Auditor-General said he would also review advertising for the national childcare reforms and the Department of Health’s campaign to promote physical activity to young women.

Mr Conroy said Australians deserved “concrete policies to reduce power prices and cut pollution”, not “deceitful TV ads paid for by the taxpayer”.

“To spend nearly $10 million of taxpayers money on a lie that this Government is bringing electricity prices down is appalling,” Mr Conroy said.

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