Thursday, 26 May 2022

Political advertising

Mr HAYES (Southern Metropolitan)

Incorporated pursuant to order of Council of 7 September 2021:

Spend, spend, spend.

My constituents keep asking me about the extraordinary level of expenditure on this year’s federal election and ask: where does all the money come from? Unknown donations? Declared donations? Taxpayer funding? Who really knows?

This past federal election period has seen overloaded constituents exhausted, from the election campaign, due to endless advertising, letterboxing, corflutes, billboards, sponsored ads on social media, not to mention TV advertising, press ads, foot soldiers with walking boards, followed by the intimidating visit to the voting centre with scores of how-to-vote cards being thrust upon potential voters.

Election spending has passed acceptable limits: Clive Palmer’s $70 million cash splash to buy votes; Liberal and Labor expected to spend more than $20 million each. In one week prior to the election $3 million was spent on election Facebook ads.

Without oversight, the Victorian election will be heading down the same path: those with the biggest wallets buying their way into favours with political parties, and political parties with the deepest pockets buying their way into the lives of voters. Without spending caps, our election debates are dominated by those with the biggest bank balance. If the Victorian government is committed to protecting the integrity of Victoria’s elections, then it’s time to bring forward the introduction of election spending caps prior to the 2022 state election.