Private sector writes govt speeches: Oppn

July 30th, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

The federal government has wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars on outsourcing speechwriting for ministers and senior officials, the opposition says.

But Labor says the private sector can provide value for money in providing such services, especially during busy phases.

According to the government’s AusTender website, at least $300,000 has been spent by government departments on speechwriting since 2008.

Among the spending has been $45,000 by the tax office in 2009, $28,600 by the climate change department for a week’s “speechwriting and editing services” in August 2011, $70,000 by Treasury and $119,000 by the infrastructure and transport department for “overflow speechwriting” in 2008.

The prime minister’s department in 2009 set up a panel for “consulting advice and professional contractor services”, including speechwriting, but it is unclear how much has been spent.

A spokesman for Climate Change Minister Greg Combet told AAP on Monday that engaging contractors was a “cost-effective” way of delivering services and accessing specific skills.

One of the key government procurement guidelines was “value for money”, the spokesman said.

The 2011 contract was to “prepare and edit communication materials to support the Clean Energy Future campaign”.

Coalition waste watch committee spokesman Jamie Briggs told AAP the government was costing taxpayers dearly.

“We know that they are spending millions of taxpayers’ dollars on market research to tell them how to think, now we hear that they are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars getting people to tell them what to say and how to say it,” Mr Briggs said.

“The fact that the government is outsourcing what it is supposed to say shows just how directionless it has become.”

A spokesman for Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese said new regional programs in the department had led to an increased demand for speechwriting services beyond the capacity of in-house staff.

The total spend was $119,000 and included communication services other than speechwriting, the spokesman said.

The Howard government outsourced several speeches for former foreign minister Alexander Downer between 2004 and 2006.