Wednesday, 6 April 2022

Questions without notice and ministers statements

Government advertising

Mr DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan—Leader of the Opposition) (12:00): My question is for the Leader of the Government, and I refer to the Auditor-General’s report on government advertising tabled today and the conclusion of the audit, which said:

In our opinion, the campaigns did not fully comply with the 2017 laws. Most OFS—

Our Fair Share—

… advertisements were political, in that they could easily be seen to:

• promote the current Victorian Government

• in the case of the OFS campaign, criticise the current Commonwealth Government …

in the midst of an election campaign. And it went further:

Most OFS advertisements included statements that could easily be seen as criticising the Commonwealth Government’s funding …

and they go through a list of things. Minister, the auditor has blown the whistle on your partisan political advertising during the 2019 federal election campaign, making it clear that this was in effect a Labor Party advertising campaign, not proper government advertising, and I therefore ask— (Time expired)

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Order! Leader of the Government, have you heard the question? No, okay. Mr Davis, you know the rules. She did not hear the question. I did not hear it.