I'm incredibly angry about the interview that @mjrowland68 did with Greg Hunt this morning. I'm angry at how the Liberal Party has politicised the APS, so I have looked into the advertising guidelines to show that @GregHuntMP has breached the AusGov advertising guidelines -THREAD https://twitter.com/BreakfastNews/status/1359257406618824704

According to the AusGov Guidelines on Advertising Campaigns, gov’t advertising campaigns are designed to support the effective delivery & implementation of gov’t policies, programs, assistance, initiatives & services.
https://www.finance.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-10/Australian-Government-Guidelines-Information-Advertising-Campaigns-October2020.pdf

(3) Non-corporate Commonwealth entities (entities) under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act) must comply with these Guidelines. The Department of Health, therefore, MUST comply with these Guidelines.

(4) The SMOS can exempt a campaign from compliance with the Guidelines for a 'national emergency/extreme urgency', & where an exemption is approved, the Independent Communications Committee (ICC) will be informed of the exemption & the decision formally reported to Parliament.

(5) The ICC considers campaigns & provides advice to the Accountable Authority (Secretary/Chief Executive of a department – in this case, Dr Brendan Murphy) on all advertising campaigns valued at more than $250,000 or where requested to do so by an Accountable Authority.

(6) Mr Andrew Blyth, the Chair of the ICC provided a letter to Dr Murphy on 22 Jan 2021, stating that “The Committee is satisfied that the campaign is relevant to government responsibilities, & that the campaign is being developed in line with Principles 2 to 4 of the Guidelines.

(7) “The (ICC’s) view has been formed at the communication strategy stage, & it has not considered the advertising materials, and concluded that the proposed COVID-19 Vaccines campaign is capable of complying with Principles 1 to 4 of the Guidelines”.
https://www.finance.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-01/department-of-health-covid-19-vaccine-campaign-january-2021.docx

(8) "Following consideration of the reports on campaign advertising compliance, the Accountable Authority (Dr Murphy) will certify that the campaign complies with the Guidelines. The AA will provide the certification to the relevant Minister" (Greg Hunt) to launch the campaign.

(9) One of the five Principles that Dr Murphy had to certify to say that the COVID vaccination campaign advertising Guidelines had been met was Principle 3: that the advertising was “Objective and not directed at promoting party political interests”.

(10) However, when the ad was shown on TV, it CLEARLY shows a Liberal Party logo. This is a clear BREACH of the Australian Government Campaign Advertising Guidelines, for which the new Finance Minister Simon Birmingham has responsibility for.

(11) I have a few questions for @GregHunt around this:
1. Did The ICC, chaired by Mr Andrew Blyth, know that the Liberal Party logo would be inserted in the advertisement after the ICC had certified that the ad would be capable of complying with Principle 3 of the Guidelines?

(12) 2. Given that Dr Murphy certified to the Minister for Health, @GregHuntMP, that the COVID vaccination campaign complied with the AusGov Campaign Advertising Guidelines, did Dr Murphy approve specifically for the Liberal Party logo to be shown in the advertisement?

(13) 3. Who made the decision to insert the Liberal Party logo into the Australian Government campaign advertisement for COVID vaccinations, when it was a clear breach of Principle 3 of the Australian Government Campaign Advertising Guidelines?

(14) 4. Did the Minister for Finance, Mr Simon Birmingham, who is also the Special Minister of State, specifically exempt the Liberal Party logo being inserted into the COVID “a national emergency, extreme urgency or other compelling reason”?

(15) 5. If an exemption was granted by Mr Birmingham for the Liberal Party logo to be inserted in an Australian Government ad in breach of Principle 3, has the ICC been informed of this exemption, has the decision been formally recorded and reported to the Parliament?

(16) This morning on Breakfast ABC, Greg Hunt Minister for Health was belligerent & untruthful in his justification for putting a Liberal Party logo in an AustGov TV advertisement. It is NOT tradition for political parties to use their political branding in campaign advertising.

(17) Contrary to what Greg Hunt says it is NOT appropriate & NOT within the rules to put a Liberal Party logo in an AusGov ad to inform people about a vaccine. TAX PAYERS are paying for the advertising & it is inappropriate to use our money to promote the LNP for political gain.

(18) I completely support @mjrowland68's indignation at Hunt attacking him for “identifying with the left”. The fact that Hunt was called out for blatant politicking using an AusGov commercial to promote the Liberal Party brand is not “identifying with the left”. #auspol

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