Department of Industry splashes $250K building social media page

BUMBLING bureaucrats spent $250,000 of taxpayers’ money on consultants to ­design a government social media page which has taken four months to go live in an embarrassing string of events which mirror a plot line from Australian TV comedy Utopia.

The $250,000 Industry Growth Centres Facebook page. Picture: Hwa Goh Utopia TV

EXCLUSIVE: BUMBLING bureaucrats spent $250,000 of taxpayers’ money on consultants to ­design a government Facebook page which has taken four months to go live.

Department of Industry ­officials have admitted to the embarrassing string of events which mirror a plot line from Australian TV comedy Utopia.

STATE TRUSTEES CHIEF EXECUTIVE STOOD ASIDE PENDING PROBE ON SPENDING

PREMIER BLOWS $280K OF TAXPAYERS’ MONEY PROMOTING HIMSELF ON FACEBOOK

BURNLEY TUNNEL SHUT AFTER TRUCK CRASH

PARENTS WARY OF GENDER STEREOTYPES, STUDY FINDS

PR firm Porter Novelli Australia was paid $246,839 in November to play a “co-ordi­nating role” in crea­ting a single social media page for six Ind­ustry Growth Centres.

The site only came online the morning after public servants were grilled over its existence in Senate Estimates.

Commercial consultants were paid to work with six marketing managers already employed by the growth centres to “make sure they all agree on the content”.

Rob Sitch and Michelle Lim Davidson in ‘Utopia: Nation Building — One White Elephant At A Time’. Picture: Hwa Goh Utopia TV

Growth Centres Policy Branch general manager David Lawrence said it was not just a Facebook page, but “the overarching initiative”.

“We needed a co-ordinating role to ensure the message was consistent coming from all the growth centres and didn’t just promote one over the others,” he said.

The Federal government spent $200 million creating the Industry Growth Centres in 2014 to grow competitiveness and productivity in Australian export industries.

Each centre is an independent not-for-profit company with an industry-led board to help each sector overcome barriers to innovation, productivity and growth.

Mr Lawrence said the mul­ti-million-dollar contract was “more than just a Facebook page” and included ­developing media, advertising and editorial strategy.

Opposition industry spok­es­man Kim Carr said it was an unacceptable waste of taxpayers’ money. Picture: AAP

“We assess the tenders and we achieve value for money,” he said.

“Obviously, when you procure those services you determine what the value is and the best value for money by testing the market, which is what has occurred here.”

The department also spent nearly $80,000 on consultants to talk to stakeholders.

Opposition industry spok­es­man Kim Carr said it was an unacceptable waste of taxpayers’ money when many Australians were struggling with stagnant wages and cost of living pressures.

“The department and growth centres had at least 28 highly skilled and professional media and communications staff between them, capable of doing their job,” he said.

“The Department wants us to believe they are incapable of establishing a Facebook page for the Industry Growth Centres.”

He said why the work could not have been done by public servants “was a mystery”.

[e-mail]