04 Sep Answers needed on Premier’s obscene ad spend

Katter’s Australian Party Leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter has slammed the Labor State Government for treating Queenslanders with contempt by continuing to embark on a massive and “obscene” taxpayer-funded advertising spend and by not disclosing the cost of the Queensland bid to bring the AFL Grand Final to Brisbane.

Mr Katter said North Queenslanders who are struggling to pay their food, electricity, insurance and other bills in the current economic climate believe the government is wasting millions of dollars in taxpayer funds on advertising and high-profile events that won’t do a thing for North Queensland.

“I am calling on the State Government to tell us exactly how much it cost to buy the AFL Grand Final for Brisbane and to stop their deliberate campaign of hiding this cost,” he said.

“This government is the Queensland Government and not the Brisbane Government and North Queenslanders have a right to know where their taxpayer dollars are being spent.”

Mr Katter said the Fitzgerald Inquiry into political corruption in Queensland had condemned taxpayer-funded political advertising campaigns and had also warned about non-disclosure of financial arrangements between government and non-government parties.

“I have been shocked to see the volume of taxpayer-funded government advertisements in the last month which are nothing more than promotional propaganda for the State Labor Government.

“The Treasurer will hand down next week, a fiscal outline which will show Queensland is in the worst economic position in its history.

“These ads should be pulled immediately, not only because we can’t afford them, but it is obscene that they are running in the lead up to the State Election.

“Australia is in a recession and this government keeps spending money on taxpayer-funded advertisements congratulating itself. It is outrageous.”

Mr Katter said the multi-million dollar bid to lure the AFL Grand Final to Brisbane was another example of the government having a focus on only Brisbane and south-east Queensland.

“I see that four hundred Victorians have now self-isolated in a luxury hotel on the Gold Coast and are part of the AFL support crew for the Grand Final,” he said.

“I suspect that is how Queensland Government taxpayer money given to the AFL, is now being spent.”