Politicians given more to spend on TV ads

Federal politicians can now spend their taxpayer-funded office budget on TV and radio advertising after a regulation change.

Special Minister of State Alex Hawke.

Special Minister of State Alex Hawke says federal MPs can now use their office budgets on ads. (AAP)

Federal politicians can now spend their office budgets on TV and radio advertising, after a ban on the practice was scrapped.

Special Minister of State Alex Hawke made the change a week ago, giving MPs the ability to spend their taxpayer-funded electorate office budgets on broadcast advertising.

Labor is promising to fight the change, which it says gives the government millions of extra dollars in advertising just months out from the federal election.

Senators get $109,370.53 each year to spend on office expenses, while lower house MPs get $136,647.23, plus an extra payment dependent on how many voters are in their electorate.

Mr Hawke said the change was made to fix an anomaly in the old system.

"Currently, parliamentarians can spend money communicating with constituents on social media, sending money offshore to companies like Facebook in Ireland, but they can't spend it on television and radio in Australia," Mr Hawke said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Labor is a party that lectures us about multinationals, but are opposing changes that take expenditure away from social media giants like Facebook and put it into local Aussie communities."

Labor senator Don Farrell said the "dodgy" changes pointed to Liberal and National politicians trying to save their own jobs.

"This taxpayer-funded budget is for members and senators to communicate with their constituents - not run ads of Scott Morrison on TV," he said.

"It is a disgraceful move that Australians will see straight through."


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Source: AAP



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