Page 1648 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 1 April 2009

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The principle is that the government should not be furthering its own electoral ends through taxpayers’ money. It can raise all the funds it wants from the unions and the poker machines and any other place that it is legal to do so—but it cannot use taxpayers’ money to advertise for its own party political purposes.

That is the principle behind this bill. We are very pleased that the Greens support the principle. We look forward to moving it to a committee. We are very happy for some of those details to be worked through. But we know why—with $688,000 spent on one campaign, and the seamless transition in the health advertising with the ALP actually using government facilities for its own advertising—the government will vote against this. We understand the sensitivity. We know why they are voting against it, but it is nonetheless shameful that they will be voting against this piece of legislation in principle. I commend the bill to the Assembly and I look forward to the committee process.

Question put:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

The Assembly voted—

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to in principle.

Detail stage

Clause 1.

Debate (on motion by Mr Smyth) adjourned to the next sitting.

Campaign Advertising—Select Committee

Establishment

Motion (by Mr Rattenbury), by leave, proposed:

That the Government Agencies (Campaign Advertising) Bill 2008 be referred to a Select Committee on Campaign Advertising with the following terms of appointment:

(1) the Committee to be composed of:

(a) one Member to be nominated by the Government

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