Extract from Report on Public Sector Agencies, June 2002.

FRAMEWORK FOR GOVERNMENT ADVERTISING AND MARKETING

Frameworks for promotional and advertising material are in place or recommended in a number of jurisdictions. Many are based, in part, on the principles developed by the Office of the Auditor-General, New Zealand in 1989:

“A government may, for example, disseminate material that:

• explains its policies;

• informs the public of government services available to them; or

• informs the public of their rights and liabilities under the law.”

“A Government should not, for example, disseminate material that:

• is designed to promote, or has the effect of promoting, its interests above those of other parliamentary groupings; or

• is designed to secure, or has the effect of attempting to secure, popular support for the party-political persuasion of the members of the Government.”

We researched principles from frameworks and guidelines, either in place or proposed, in jurisdictions including the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia (national, New South Wales and Western Australia), and synthesised the following principles considered to be appropriate for guiding government advertising and marketing in Victoria.

Fundamental principles covering government advertising and marketing

The fundamental principles governing the use of public funds for government information programs are that:

• all members of the public have equal rights to access comprehensive information about government policies, programs and services which affect their rights and entitlements, except where access to this information would represent a breach of government responsibilities; and

• governments may legitimately use public funds for information programs or education campaigns to explain government policies, programs or services, and to inform members of the public of their obligations, rights and entitlements.

Examples of suitable uses for government advertising and marketing include to:

• inform the public of new, existing or proposed government policies, or policy revisions;

• provide information on government programs or services or revisions to programs or services to which the public are entitled to access; and

• inform the public of their rights, entitlements or obligations under the law.

Government communications and advertising to the public should be:

Relevant to government policies

• The subject matter should be directly related to the Government’s responsibilities.

• Material produced should be in response to an identified information need.

Explanatory and objective, fair and factual

• Information should be based on accurate, verifiable facts. No claim or statement should be made which cannot be substantiated.

• The information and its presentation should be fair, unbiased and objective.

• When making a comparison, the material should clearly represent to the recipient the situation within which the comparison is made and it should state explicitly the nature of the comparison.

• The recipient of the material should always be able to distinguish clearly and easily between facts on the one hand, and comment, opinion and analysis on the other.

• When dealing with matters on which a decision has not yet been made, for example a policy proposal, the material given should include both the benefits and the impacts.

• Material may include a response to, but should not be aimed solely at rebutting, the arguments of others.

• Pre-existing policies, products, services and activities should not be presented as new ones.

Not liable to interpretation as party-political

• Material should not intentionally promote, or be perceived as promoting, party-political interests. (Party-political actions are defined as promoting activities, programs or initiatives of the Government in a politically partisan or biased manner, which places party advantage above the public interest.) To this end, in addition to ensuring that the content is appropriate, communications planning should consider whether matters such as timing, targeting, and the overall environment in which it is planned to be communicated, could suggest a party-political motive.

• Material should not be designed to influence public support for a political party, a candidate for election or a Member of Parliament. For example, material should not be personalised or directed toward self or party-political image building, whether explicit or implied.

• Material should not attack or scorn, for its own sake, the views, policies or actions of others, such as the policies and opinions of Opposition parties or groups. It should avoid political slogans and be presented in unbiased and objective language.

• Distribution of unsolicited material should be carefully controlled. As a general rule, publicity touching on politically controversial issues should not reach members of the public unsolicited, except where the information communicated clearly and directly affects their interests.

• Official pronouncements and explanations of government policy should not refer to the name of a political party or to the Government using the Premier’s name.

• Other publicity material about Government activities should not include reference to the political party and should minimise reference to the Government using the Premier’s name.

• In any agreed quarantine period leading up to an election (e.g. in the period after the writs for an election have been issued):

• the Ministers/Members of the government of the day should not be directly associated with a product or service provided by an agency of government;

• any material issued by agencies must have a clear commercial or essential community information purpose and be necessary at that particular time; and

• planned advertising campaigns may require amendment.

Produced and distributed in an efficient, effective and relevant way

• The cost of the chosen scale and methods of communicating information must be justifiable in terms of achieving the identified objective(s) for the least practicable expense (i.e. efficient and effective) and justified by a cost-benefit analysis;

• There should be a clear audit trail regarding decision-making;

• Existing purchasing/procurement policies and procedures for the tendering and commissioning of services and the employment of consultants should be followed; and

• Material should not be used or reproduced by members of political parties in support of party-political activities without appropriate approval.

• All material must comply with relevant broadcasting, media and electoral laws