Albanese advertising blitz: Pre-election splurge using taxpayers’ money

The Albanese Government has used taxpayer dollars to splash out on pre-election advertising, despite a promise to end such rorts.

Anthony Albanese promised to end advertising rorts, yet doubled the amount his government has spent over 2024, as he prepares for a early 2025 election.

The Albanese Government has launched a $476m advertising blitz this year, in the lead up to next year’s election, which must be held by May 17.

The amount of taxpayers’ funds locked into advertising contracts published on the government’s AusTender website has more than doubled, from $233m in 2023 to $476m so far this year.

The Department of Health and Aged Care has topped the rankings in advertising, locking in $75m of contracts this year, while the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has limited itself to just $3m in promoting the government’s work.

The Mediabrands marketing group, which represents 13,000 media and marketing specialists across the globe, won government contracts for its clients worth a total of $141m in 2024, with much of the work carrying through until the middle of 2025.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese directed questions on the surge in the government’s advertising to the Department of Finance, whose spokeswoman said several major campaigns had been run over 2023-24.

“Campaigns launched in 2023-24 include several focussed on important social behaviour change, such as Youth Vaping and Consent, as well as campaigns outlining government supports to ease cost-of-living pressures,” the spokeswoman saaid.

The AusTender listings show the Department of Finance locked in one contract with the Universal McCann media agency worth $52m from September this year until June 2028.

But Labor is not alone in spending taxpayer dollars on pre-election advertising splurges.

In 2022 the Grattan Institute published an in-depth analysis that showed advertising spending spikes had occurred in the leadup to elections dating back to before 2010.

Grattan Institute study into government advertising spending, showing pre-election spikes.

The Institute’s report found “taxpayer-funded advertising typically spikes in election years, and 2022 was no exception.

“In the six months leading up to the 2022 election, the (then) Coalition government spent about $180 million, compared with about $120 million in the six months leading up to the 2019 election.”

During the 2022 campaign, then Opposition leader Anthony Albanese promised to rein in “the Liberals’ rorts and waste (including) … $1 billion in government advertising.”