❓ The WA Government addresses a question regarding advertising expense cuts as part of its debt reduction strategy, stating that savings were achieved through broader budget measures and allocated to agency budgets.
AnsweredQoN 3646Legislative Assembly
Asked
14 August 2018
Member
Portfolio
Treasurer; Minister for Finance; Energy; Aboriginal Affairs
QuestionView source ↗
In relation to the Government’s election commitment to cut advertising expenses by $20 million each year as part of its Debt Reduction Strategy: (a) Following the Government’s decision to farm out advice on the TAB sale to an overseas consultancy, has the Government made any savings in regards to the abovementioned election commitment; (b) If yes to (a), what is the dollar value of advertising savings made, listed by advertising programme/stream and its related department; and (c) Can the Government guarantee that part of their cost reduction program has not involved the rebadging of costs by shifting advertising expenditure into other areas of spending?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
18 September 2018
Response time
9 days
(a) The engagement of a commercial advisor on the potential sale of the TAB has no bearing on the election commitment relating to reducing advertising costs. As part of the 2017-18 Budget, the Government approved the removal of the then 1% per annum indexation of non-salary expenses for appropriation-funded general government agencies, over the period 2017-18 to 2020-21, as a discrete Budget repair measure. Non-salary expenses captures consultant, travel and advertising costs as such, the associated $300 million in net debt savings more than met the election commitment estimated savings.
(b) The full $300 million Budget repair measure was allocated to agency budgets in the 2017-18 Budget, as summarised in the attached table [see tabled paper no...]. Detailed application of savings below aggregate agency spend (i.e. agency program information) is not provided to Treasury.
(c) Yes. As noted in response (b), the savings have been allocated to and harvested from agency budgets.
(b) The full $300 million Budget repair measure was allocated to agency budgets in the 2017-18 Budget, as summarised in the attached table [see tabled paper no...]. Detailed application of savings below aggregate agency spend (i.e. agency program information) is not provided to Treasury.
(c) Yes. As noted in response (b), the savings have been allocated to and harvested from agency budgets.
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