My colleague, Labor Shadow Minister for Better Public Services, Sophie Cotsis MP has challenged the Government on its spending on media advisers and focus groups. I support Sophie's challenge of the Government's wasteful expenditure.

Sophie has said:

At a time when the Liberals are ripping a quarter of a billion dollars out of hospital funding, spending taxpayer money on branding and to choose a new font is the wrong priority.



Why are the Liberals spending all this money on media advisers, focus groups and marketing consultants? The Liberals need to explain this spending.

Sophie has called on Liberal Minister, Victor Dominello to explain why his Customer Service agency is spending millions of dollars of taxpayer money every year on media advisers, focus groups, and marketing and advertising consultants.

Labor uncovered the Liberals big spending during a Budget Estimates hearing into the Customer Service Department, showing:


$28.1 million spent on a Brand and Communications unit with 155 media advisers, including $163,460 on focus groups to test the States Waratah brand
$7,949,832 on unexplained contracts for government marketing and advertising consultants.


Estimates shows that the Brand and Communications unit is headed up by a senior public servant earning up to $345,550, with the 15 person brand team manager earning up to $274,700.

This 15 person brand team has spent more than $160,000 on focus groups to test the States Waratah brand. Its unclear what the real purpose of these focus groups are, since the Liberals insist they arent considering replacing the Waratah as the state brand. If that is the case, why the need for these expensive focus groups?

There are a lot of legitimate reasons that a Government would pay for marketing or advertising, like if they were trying to address workplace health and safety issues. But this spending goes way beyond that.

People deserve to know if the marketing and advertising the Liberals are spending money on is actually in the public interest, or whether its just Liberal Government propaganda.

When this state is facing cuts to hospital funding, how can the Liberals justify this spending in advertising and spin doctoring.

What NSW people really want and need is meaningful investment of public funds in functions and services that actually make a difference in their lives.