Greedy Liberal Cash Grab Props Up Marginal Seats Martin Ferguson - Shadow Minister for Regional and Urban Development, Transport and Infrastructure

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Media Statement - 2 February 2003

Australians should be utterly disgusted at the blatant hypocrisy of the Liberal Party in relation to the use of taxpayer funds for party propaganda.

Government MPs in marginal seats are taking the taxpayer for a ride by spending 10 times the average printing budget at the same time as maximising Australian Electoral Commission payments under the Electoral Act.

The average spend by MPs, according to the Auditor-General's 2001 report, was just $37,000 for 1999-2000, yet, in the worst case, one Government MP spent more than $416,000 in the lead up to the 2001 Election. (See attached document).

This is twice the bill of the highest spending Labor MP, Bob Horne, who lost his seat after details of his comparatively modest printing bill were conveniently leaked just before the 2001 election.

The public is entitled to ask how Mr Horne's $211,000 bill was made public, while the details of 13 Liberal and National Party MPs with far higher bills remained under wraps until after the election.

Government MPs occupy 24 of the 28 highest spenders on the list, including all but one of the 18 MPs with a printing bill in excess of $200,000.

In total, Government MPs in marginal seats spent more than $5.8 million on printing in 2001, or more than one quarter of the total printing expenditure.

This extraordinary use of the printing entitlement by Liberals MPs is over and above the hefty public funding payments totalling almost $1.7 million to the Government's 24 highest spending seats to pay for their election campaign.

There is no doubt that there was a directive from the Federal Liberal Party division in 2001 to use as much taxpayers' money to spread party propaganda, rather than use Liberal Party campaign funds.

Taxpayers expect their money to be spent on health, education and infrastructure to improve their quality of life and opportunities – not on self-promoting Liberal propaganda.

Attached: Liberal Party Taxpayer funded printing 2001 (pdf format)