Friday, October 5, 2007

Not With My Money - a GetUp campaign


When the Government saturated us with their Climate Clever advertising campaign, GetUp members rallied to raise an unbelievable quarter of a million dollars plus to successfully air our climate spoof ad during the AFL Grand Final.

But government spending of our taxes to advertise their party policies must stop now. Before another dollar of public money is spent, sign the urgent petition to tell Mr Howard and Mr Rudd that we demand an end to government advertising designed to spruik not inform:

www.getup.org.au/campaign/NotWithMyMoney


E
very day of inaction is literally costing us $1 million in advertising. Some of it is legitimate but this Government has spent more than any other on its own advertising - estimated at almost $2 billion. Our Government is now one of the biggest advertisers in Australia, and one of the highest spending governments in the world. It is all with our money, but without our consultation or consent.

The last federal Labor government did the same, as do current state Labor governments - and while the Greens and Labor are making some positive noises there is nothing effective in Australian law to prevent this unbridled abuse of public trust and purse. Now rumours abound that John Howard even intends to break with time-honoured convention and continue taxpayer-funded propaganda during the election period itself. Sign the petition now - and we'll put your name to the $2 billion invoice we'll send to the government for our monies spent:

www.getup.org.au/campaign/NotWithMyMoney


I
magine what $2 billion of our taxes could do - close the Indigenous health gap, fill the shortfall in public schools funding, double the Government's spending on climate change. But that money has been largely wasted on political self-interest, and that is simply insulting to Australian taxpayers.

Thanks for being a part of this,
The GetUp team

PS - Malcolm Turnbull MP, Peter Garrett MP and Senator Christine Milne have all posted blogs on the Gunns pulp mill approval at GetUp's new blog pages. Click here to read their messages and join the discussion.