Comments on: Workplace ad blitz wrong

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 01:27:43 +0000

Jeff Kennett (former Victorian Liberal Premier and ex-advertising executive) agrees with me! From The Age:

Jeff Kennett has branded the Howard Government’s massive advertising campaign to promote its industrial relations changes "the greatest waste of money".

Mr Kennett said the legislation should have been produced before the hard sell began.

He could not judge whether the changes would deliver the promised benefits because he had not seen the legislation. "At the moment, everyone’s fundamentally responding to shadows," he said.

"From an advertising man’s point of view, which has been my background, I’ve got to say to you those ads are the greatest waste of public money because they defy advertising logic, and that is to sell a simple message."

By: Ray Dixon

Ray Dixon — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 02:50:56 +0000

Hey Andrew, you can’t justify the Federal Government’s propaganda by claiming it’s like "a function of government". How absurd.

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 02:48:01 +0000

I agree that all parties do it. That doesn’t make it right, and I think it’s getting worse.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 23:09:42 +0000

Ah yes, but where we have Labor state governments (which are responsible for hospitals & schools, incidentally) the union-based government spends oodles of taxpayer funds on self promotion. Seems like it’s a function of government, rather than which end of the spectrum you’re from.

By: Michael

Michael — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 22:30:54 +0000

The unions are a lobby group and they’re spending members’ funds. The government is spending taxpayers money that could go to schools and hospitals.

I reckon the business lobby should pay for and run the counter ads.

And I was right. We’re only giving half a million to Pakistan for earthquake relief. We gave Indonesia a billion dollars after the tsunami. Something wrong there too.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 21:11:23 +0000

The unions are spending many millions on their propaganda, and they only represent 30% of the workforce (only 10% are actual members of a trade union). At least the government represents about half!