Controller and Auditor-General to report on election advertising spending

The Controller and Auditor-General, Kevin Brady, intends to report to Parliament on pre-election publicity by parliamentary parties at public expense.

Mr Brady announced shortly before last year's election that he would review all spending of public funds by MPs and parliamentary parties on communications in the 3 month pre-election period. This followed a number of complaints to him from members of the public and MPs.

After the election, the Chief Electoral Officer referred a number of advertisements to the Police for consideration of possible offences under the Electoral Act. The Controller and Auditor-General decided to await the outcome of the Police process.

The Police have announced that no prosecution action will be taken under the Electoral Act.

Mr Brady will now consider whether the publicity funded from parliamentary appropriations was within the scope of the spending authority given by Parliament. This involves his duties as Controller. He will report his findings to the House of Representatives.

Contact for enquiries

Robert Buchanan, Assistant Auditor-General
tel: +64 4 917 1500
e-mail: [email protected]