Victoria’s opposition is urging the state’s integrity agencies to investigate government advertising campaigns found to be in breach of state laws due to their political nature.
The Victorian auditor general’s office (Vago) report tabled in parliament on Wednesday found the “Our Fair Share” campaign and several Big Build advertisements breached laws passed in 2017 to stop public sector agencies publishing political advertising.
This came after the Independent Broad‑based Anti‑corruption Commission (Ibac) and the Victorian ombudsman said in 2019 that they could not justify launching an investigation into the advertisements.
Opposition spokesperson Brad Battin on Thursday wrote to Ibac and the ombudsman, urging them to take another look at the advertisements in light of Vago’s findings.
“I would respectfully ask that you reconsider this decision and investigate the advertising campaigns referred to in the report as part of your larger investigation into the politicisation of the public service,” his letter, obtained by Guardian Australia, states.
The ombudsman is currently investigating whether the public service has been politicised after a referral from state parliament’s upper house earlier this year.
The $1.7m Our Fair Share campaign, which ran during the 2019 federal election, advocated for more commonwealth funding for Victorian public schools, healthcare and transport projects.
The Vago report said the campaign was political because it could “easily be seen” to promote the Victorian government while attacking the federal government.
Two advertisements from the $11.5m campaign for the Big Build, were also found to be unlawful as they promoted the works before providing information in the public interest about disruptions.
In 2019, the Ibac and the Victorian ombudsman wrote to the state’s premier, Daniel Andrews, about the Our Fair Share campaign after receiving complaints.
In the letter, which was appended to the Vago report, they said an investigation could not be justified. They said it was “highly unlikely” that statements by the heads of the departments involved, in which they said they were “motivated solely by the public interest”, could be contradicted.
However, the agencies said the timing and content of the campaign “would have had the effect of influencing public sentiment against the government of the commonwealth.
“This would have been the likely perception of a reasonable member of the Victorian public, whatever their political allegiance,” they said in the letter.
They proposed amendments to the laws to “reinforce the importance of an apolitical public sector and to advance the wider public interest”. The government, however, did not make any changes.
On Thursday, Battin said an investigation should examine “if the premier, ministers, or their respective offices used any undue influence that led to the production of illegal political advertising”.
He also stated the creation and approval of these ads potentially breached impartiality requirements under Codes of Conduct for Victorian public sector employees and ministers and parliamentary secretaries.
Battin said Victorians deserve the truth as to how millions of dollars were allowed to be spent on unlawful and improper advertisements.
“Daniel Andrews has been caught out breaking his own laws and treating people’s money as his own,” he said in a statement.
“Victorians deserve the truth as to how and why this occurred.”
Andrews, however, continued to defend the advertisements.
“These matters have already been looked at by those authorities and they’ve made it very clear what the view is,” Andrews said.
“It’s breathtaking that you think lowly of a government that stands up for its state, that’s what we do. That’s what we always do.”
