Media release
Plans by the Abbott government to sell its cruel budget of broken promises through a major taxpayer-funded advertising campaign are just a further insult to pensioners and hardworking Australians, according to Palmer United Party federal leader Clive Palmer.
The Member for Fairfax has hit out at moves by Finance Minister Mathias Cormann to spend huge amounts of money promoting the budget, saying Australians will suffer while Tony Abbott’s News Limited mates benefit.
“No doubt the majority of taxpayers’ money being thrown at this heartless exercise in self-indulgence will go towards News Limited as a way of thanking it for sweeping the Liberals to election victory with its one-sided coverage,’’ Mr Palmer said.
“At the expense of everyday Australians, the Liberals are doing everything they can to prop up News Limited so it can continue spreading their propaganda.
“We have seen the profitability of some news organisations including Fairfax improve in recent times, yet News Limited remains in a precarious position with plummeting circulation largely because of the public backlash over its agenda-driven coverage.”
Mr Palmer said the advertising campaign was about Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey robbing taxpayers to look after their own self interests.
“We saw the same thing happen with the LNP in Queensland when Campbell Newman spent huge amounts of taxpayers’ money on the Strong Choices campaign to justify selling state-owned assets despite the majority of Queenslanders wanted to keep them in public hands.
“The Liberals don’t care what people think, they only want to protect themselves so they can be re-elected, while the pensioners and our health and education systems all suffer,’’ he said.