Shadow Attorney-General Ella Haddad has called into question the integrity of the Rockliff Government following our Tasmanian Times investigation into a $52,000 taxpayer-funded advertising blitz.
Documents obtained via Right to Information (RTI) by this outlet reveal that the Department of Premier and Cabinet authorised contract extensions for a “digital takeover” on 10 and 11 June, days after a successful no-confidence motion made a snap election certain. Haddad argues the timing of the spend—designed to lock up a 100 per cent “share of voice” on a major digital platform—constitutes political advertising at the public’s expense. The Labor Shadow Minister for Integrity is now demanding answers on who specifically signed off on the last-minute expenditure and whether the Premier was personally involved.
Media release – Ella Haddad MHA, Shadow Attorney General, Shadow Minister for Justice and Integrity, 19 December 2025
Rockliff Government’s election advertising spend raises serious integrity questions
Newly released Right to Information documents have raised serious questions about the integrity and judgement of the Rockliff Liberal Government in the lead-up to Tasmania’s snap election earlier this year.
The documents show that the Liberal Government spent more than $52,000 on taxpayers money on advertising favouring the Liberal Party, immediately ahead of the campaign.
Even more troubling than the amount, is the timing of the spend.
The documents reveal that the Department of Premier and Cabinet approved and paid for two additional extensions to the “digital takeover” campaign on 10 and 11 June – after a no-confidence motion in Jeremy Rockliff passed and he had refused to resign – when it was clear Tasmania was heading towards a snap election.
By that point, the Premier and his office knew Tasmanians were about to be sent to the polls, yet they signed off on extra public spending to lock up a 100 per cent share of voice on a major digital platform.
It is extraordinarily questionable for a government to be pouring tens of thousands of dollars of public money into political-style advertising when it knows an election is imminent. Tasmanians rightly expect government advertising to be used to convey essential information, not crowd out debate from a digital space at the very moment an election campaign begins.
This is not the first time they’ve used taxpayer’s money to advertise for the Liberal party ahead of an election campaign. In 2021, then Premier Peter Gutwein spent as much as $100,000 on Liberal Party brochures immediately before calling a snap election 14 months early.
There must be clear answers about who authorised this new spending revealed in the RTI, under what grounds it was authorised, and whether the Premier was involved.
Tasmanian Times (TT) is a community-based news and current affairs service covering the island state of Tasmania. It exists to provide a diverse presentation of Tasmanian issues. TT creates and supports independent media content utilising the best of modern technologies and tried-and-true practices of public-interest journalism.
Support us in expanding our coverage and developing new content by and for Tasmanians.
New initiatives on the way include … what our contributors and readers suggest! Please get in touch with your suggestions.
