Eric Ripper

Eric Ripper

Deputy Premier; Treasurer; Minister for State Development

    National party amnesia (look it up Max) in political attack

    5/01/2005 10:11 PM
     
    5/1/05
        “the Premier’s appealing cockpit poses have been more about promoting him.”

        “the (Mabo) advertising campaign was pitched clearly at manipulating public opinion to support the Government line rather than being a genuine attempt to inform.”
      The West Australian editorial, 21 April 1994

    Treasurer Eric Ripper has described a National Party attack on Government advertising as ‘monumental hypocrisy’.

    Mr Ripper said while criticising the advertising, National Party leader Max Trenorden had not pledged to abolish it if a Coalition Government were elected to office.

    “All Governments - Federal and State - advertise to inform the community about important issues. The question is not whether there should be advertising, but how much and whether it’s in the public interest,” he said.

    “The Gallop Government has cut advertising spending - as promised - compared to the former Liberal-National Government, and we have introduced strict public interest guidelines.”

    Mr Ripper said it was hypocritical for Mr Trenorden to attack the Government when he and Mr Barnett were part of a Government that took advertising to extremes.

    “Mr Trenorden clearly has amnesia about the infamous 1994 advertising campaign which featured Richard Court in a helicopter promoting the infill sewerage program. And he has obviously forgotten the disgraceful anti-Mabo television campaign of 1993 which also featured Richard Court,” the Treasurer said.

    “You will never see a Labor Minister swanning around in a taxpayer-funded television advertisement as Richard Court did.”

    Mr Ripper said Mr Trenorden’s criticism of the Burglar Beware campaign - among others - was short sighted.

    “At a time when many families are on holidays we need to remind potential criminals that the long arm of the law will catch up with them if they break into people’s homes,” he said.

    “The truth is, the Liberals and Nationals cannot stand the idea of an informed public.”

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