New rules allow MPs to bill taxpayers for ads

MPs will be able to spend millions of taxpayer dollars advertising on TV and radio under new regulations backed by the government.

Special Minister of State Alex Hawke approved the rule change.

Parliamentarians will be able to spend millions of taxpayer dollars advertising on television and radio under new regulations backed by the Morrison government.

Labor will attempt to use parliament to overturn the regulations and has promised none of its MPs would use their office budgets to advertise on TV and radio during the election.

“The change in regulations that would allow taxpayer funds to be spent on political advertising is something we will do our absolute level best to stop, using the parliament,” deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek said.

“We will seek to disallow the regulations. We’ll try and stop it through the parliament, but if we can’t stop it through the parliament, we’ll make people pay back the money. Members of parliament should not be using taxpayer funds to run political ads.”

Members of the house have an office budget of $136,647, while senators can spend $109,371.

Special Minister of State Alex Hawke approved cancelling the regulation that banned MP office expenses being used for political advertising on television or radio. Mr Hawke said the new regulations would put television and radio on a level playing field with social media.

“Currently parliamentarians can spend money communicating with constituents on social media, sending money offshore to companies like Facebook in Ireland, but they can’t spend it on television and radio in Australia,” Mr Hawke said.

He said the old rules were “hurting” people in regional areas who did not get the same access to political messages as city dwellers.

“Labor are opposing the rights of disadvantaged communities to receive the same level of communication from their members of parliament that metropolitan communities receive,” he said.

Opposition frontbencher Don Farrell said the government was already spending $600,000 a day on taxpayer-funded advertising.

“This taxpayer-funded budget is for members and senators to communicate with their constituents — not run ads of Scott Morrison on TV,” Senator Farrell said.

“By amending regulations, the government has tried to sneak these changes through out of sight of the parliament.”