PREMIER John Brumby faces pre-election embarrassment over taxpayer-funded Government advertising, with the Opposition set to use his own words against him when it introduces legislation designed to stop public money being used for political propaganda.
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The Opposition will introduce a private member's bill when Parliament resumes next month - based on a bill sponsored by Mr Brumby in 1995 when he was opposition leader.
Announcing his Political Advertising Bill in the lead-up to the 1996 election, Mr Brumby said it would ''keep governments honest'' and would be the first piece of legislation passed by Labor if it won office.
But, despite being a leading figure in this 10-year-old Labor Government, Mr Brumby has never introduced the promised bill and now stands accused of misusing public money in a multimillion-dollar advertising blitz in the lead-up to the November 2010 election.
The Age reported last month that the Government has spent more than $10 million on TV advertisements and mass mail-outs in recent months to promote its performance in the sensitive areas of hospitals, schools, roads and public transport.
The core of Mr Brumby's promised bill was the introduction of an independent watchdog - comprising the Auditor-General, the Ombudsman and an advertising industry executive - to crack down on what he called publicly funded ''propaganda campaigns'' by Jeff Kennett's government.
The centrepiece of the current Opposition's bill will also be a new panel - comprising retired judges, former public sector auditors and senior academics - to preview proposed campaigns and end what Liberal leader Ted Baillieu calls Mr Brumby's ''record abuse of taxpayers' funds for self-promotion and other improper Government advertising''.
Mr Brumby will face a dilemma in dealing with the Coalition bill, which is expected to be passed by the upper house, controlled by the Liberals, Nationals, Greens and DLP.
If he orders Labor MPs to oppose it, the Opposition will accuse him of hypocrisy. But if Labor supports it, the Coalition will demand to know why Mr Brumby acted only after 10 years in office.
''Fifteen years ago, John Brumby boasted of his staunch opposition to taxpayer-funded party-political advertising, but since coming to Government he has spent unprecedented amounts of taxpayers' funds promoting himself and his Government,'' Mr Baillieu said yesterday.
''Fifteen years later and not only has Mr Brumby's promised bill never been introduced but every one of his grand statements has been revealed as fraudulent, empty posturing.
Mr Baillieu said the Opposition would include all of Mr Brumby's 1995 proposed reforms in its bill.
''I agree completely with John Brumby's 1995 statements to end the flagrant abuse of taxpayers' funds and call on him to support the Coalition's bill, which he committed to in opposition but has failed to introduce in Government,'' he said.
Mr Brumby, who returned to work yesterday after a month's leave, last night declined to say whether he would back the legislation. He said through his spokeswoman, Fiona Macrae, that it was pleasing Mr Baillieu had finally recognised that Mr Kennett had used government advertising for political purposes.
Labor went to the 1999 election promising strict guidelines ''to prevent publicly funded advertising being inappropriately used to promote the government'', Ms Macrae said. That promise had been met in Labor's first term, and the guidelines were updated last year.
''The Auditor-General - whose powers were restored by the Labor government in 1999 - also oversees government advertising,'' the Premier's spokeswoman said.
''Advertising is vital in helping to raise awareness about bushfire preparedness, reducing the road toll and cutting water consumption,'' she said. ''It also helps the Government inform the community about projects and programs that impact on the community.''
