Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s public assertion that taxpayer-funded advertising stopped on 11 June is flatly false. While the Premier told the Mercury on Saturday that the calling of the election marked the end of government-funded messaging, digital evidence obtained by Tasmanian Times proves that a high-impact, taxpayer-subsidised “digital blockade” continued for weeks after that date.
The Mercury’s reporting on Saturday underplayed the reality of this spend, framing it as a dispute over “dead budget” authorisation. However, the visual evidence tells a much more damning story of how the incumbency was protected by public money right up until the point of polling.
Screenshots captured on July 16 and 17—more than a month after the Premier claims the taps were turned off—show a relentless 100 per cent “Share of Voice” takeover, saturating a prominent state digital news platform.
These were not neutral public information notices about a budget. They included:
- The “Black Ads” – Aggressive, negative attack advertisements targeting opposition parties with the slogan “They’ll Make You Pay,” specifically naming Labor and the Greens.
- The “Vote 1 to 7” Ads – Explicit campaign material urging voters to “Vote 1 to 7 for the Liberal Team,” delivered via the same taxpayer-funded “Budget” contract extensions signed on June 11.
The Liberal Party Vote 1 to 7 Ad published 16 July 2025
By purchasing every available ad unit on a major digital news platform during the final 48 hours of the campaign, the Rockliff Government created a digital monopoly that effectively locked out all rival political and community voices.
The Mercury’s coverage failed to interrogate the delivery of these ads, choosing instead to focus on the authorisation dates. This allowed the Premier to tell their readers that advertising “stopped,” while the actual digital reality for Tasmanians was a taxpayer-funded blockade designed to ensure only one side of the political argument was heard.
Central to this blockade was the 26 per cent “special government rate” identified in RTI records. These invoices show that while the standard commercial price for a 24-hour digital takeover was $5,500, the Premier’s Office paid a discounted rate of just $4,070.
This $1,430 daily “bonus” allowed the Liberals to dominate the digital landscape at a price point unavailable to any other political party or independent candidate. This commercial advantage, hidden behind the “Agency Shield” of Gray Matters Advertising, represents a profound breach of the spirit of caretaker conventions and a direct hit to the integrity of the 2025 election.
As these screenshots show, the “digital blockade” was active, partisan, and publicly funded long after the date the Premier claims it ended. The question now is not just about the money spent, but the accuracy of the statements made to the Tasmanian people.
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.
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