[Greens-Media] Coalition MP admits Pyne’s advertising campaign about promoting party policy

[Faruqi, Osman (Sen L.Rhiannon)]

Coalition MP admits Pyne’s advertising campaign about promoting party policy

Comments by Liberal MP Craig Laundy stating that the Abbott Government’s propaganda campaign on its higher education cuts are about “getting the public to buy into it” demonstrate the advertisements are all about promoting Coalition policy, not Government information as first claimed said the Australian Greens spokesperson for higher education Senator Lee Rhiannon.

“Craig Laundy has let the cat out of the bag on Christopher Pyne’s wasteful and misleading publicly funded campaign on the Government’s higher education cuts,” Senator Rhiannon said.

“Mr Laundy last night defended the advertising campaign by stating ‘We [the Liberal Party] have got a job to do selling it to the Senate’ and argued it was needed because ‘We need to get the public to buy into it’.

“These comments confirm this advertising campaign is purely about trying to convince the public and Senate crossbenchers to support the Coalition’s elitist plan for higher education.

“It is difficult to see how this advertising campaign fits within Departmental guidelines requiring such campaigns to be free of political argument and not promote party political interests.

“These ads are entirely about trying to convince the public to support Coalition policy, as confirmed by Mr Laundy last night.

“Not only is the Government trying to promote a policy that has already been rejected by the Senate, it is misleading the public by arguing students will pay 50 per cent of the cost of their degree, when course fees released by the University of Western Australia show students will pay far more – up to 90 per cent in some cases,” Senator Rhiannon said.

NOTE: Mr Laundy’s comments were made on Sky News last night at approximately 7:20pm.

Contact – Osman Faruqi  0401 423 219


Kind Regards,
Osman Faruqi
Strategy and Policy Adviser
Office of Senator Lee Rhiannon | Australian Greens Senator for New South Wales
p: (02) 9211 9523 | f: (02) 9211 3312
http://lee-rhiannon.greensmps.org.au/
Sign up to stay in touch<lee-rhiannon.greensmps.org.au/signup>