Click the link below to download a PDF copy of Appendix D. IBAC and Victorian Ombudsman joint letter to the Premier.

Click the link below to download a PDF copy of Appendix C. Scope of this audit.

Click the link below to download a PDF copy of Appendix B. Acronyms, abbreviations and glossary.

Click the link below to download a PDF copy of Appendix A. Submissions and comments.

Conclusion

The agencies involved in the two advertising campaigns could not show that the campaigns were cost-effective. Systems for assessing cost-effectiveness were inadequate. Agencies did not always set clear campaign objectives and targets for assessing the campaigns’ performance. They did not evaluate systematically and objectively whether the campaigns met their objectives.   

Conclusion

In our opinion, the two advertising campaigns did not fully comply with the PAA. Some of the campaign advertisements included political advertising. One campaign did not comply with limits on television advertising. 

The agencies involved in the campaigns interpret the laws differently. They maintain that they complied with their legal obligations.

At the very least, this suggests that the laws are not sufficiently clear. 

The Victorian Government uses advertising to communicate with the public about important issues, such as government services, changes to the law and health and safety. It spent at least $84.6 million on advertising in 2019–20. 

In 2017, the Victorian Parliament introduced new laws to ensure government advertising is in the public interest, and to stop public sector agencies publishing political advertising. 

What we assessed

This audit used the following lines of inquiry and criteria:

BIAs prior to COVID-19

Figure D1 outlines our assessment of departments’ BIAs prior to COVID-19.

FIGURE D1: Our assessment of departments’ BIAs prior to COVID-19