RfR propaganda merchandise

The Department of Regional Development and Lands ordered well over $100,000 worth of small trinkets (pens, sunscreen, lip balm) and banners and had them labelled as RfR to be handed out at various 'events' and 'shows'.

They even created an identity called "Roy" who featured in a RfR showbag containing a "Roy" USB thumb drive, a "Roy" paper plane and a lifesize self-standing printed cut out of "Roy".

There was also a colouring-in picture of Roy featuring Roy flying in an air balloon over a rural landscape with bags of money attached to the balloon basket. 

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Barnett’s spin doctor count exceeds 500

  The number of communications staff employed by the Barnett Government continues to rise with latest figures revealing the number has skyrocketed to 529 costing taxpayers at least $40million a year, Shadow Treasurer Ben Wyatt said today. Mr Wyatt said this was an increase of 35 per cent since the Barnett Government came into power. "The Barnett Government is wasting tens of millions of dollars on an army of spin doctors to produce propaganda to support its political agenda," Mr Wyatt said. "This does ... Read More...

Collier’s decision costs WA taxpayers $100 million

  Three years after being warned that100 megawatts of extra power would be required for the Pilbara, Energy Minister Peter Collier allowed a crisis to develop in the provision of power in the region, Shadow Minister for Energy Bill Johnston said today. Mr Johnston said on 12 September this year Horizon Power called for 60 megawatts of temporary power from 2014, and a further 40 megawatts of temporary power from 2015. “However, this generation capacity will be entirely replaced by permanent ... Read More...

Barnett blows more than $28,000 on polling for political advertising campaign

  The Barnett Government wasted more than $28,000 of taxpayers’ money to conduct polling for its political ‘Bigger Picture’ advertising campaign, Shadow Treasurer Ben Wyatt said today.  Mr Wyatt said this was yet another example of the Barnett Government wasting taxpayer funds on blatant political advertising that should be funded by the Liberal Party.  “Earlier this year Colin Barnett said his Government would not conduct polling because it was ... Read More...

Barnett spinning and spending out of control

  Leaked documents show the Barnett Government is set to embark on a blatant $1.5million political advertising campaign at taxpayers’ expense, Shadow Treasurer Ben Wyatt said today.  Mr Wyatt said leaked TV scripts associated with the campaign show its primary purpose is to promote the political message of so-called ‘the bigger picture’ and not to inform the public of relevant information.  “This campaign spruiking infrastructure projects including the proposed ... Read More...

Barnett’s spin spending reaches $70million in four years

  The Barnett Government spent more than $70million on advertising its public authorities in only four years, Shadow Treasurer Ben Wyatt said today.  Mr Wyatt said a government tender calling for ‘master media services’ to coordinate the campaign and non-campaign advertising for public authorities, included costs associated with advertising.  “This is yet another extraordinary example of the Barnett Government wasting taxpayers’ money to fund its ... Read More...

Spending on ‘MAX’ name will make people mad

  The Barnett Government spent more than $27,000 of taxpayers’ money to employ consultants to come up with the same name for its proposed light rail network as used in Portland, Oregon, Shadow Transport Minister Ken Travers said today.  Mr Travers said the Tenders WA website revealed consultants were paid $27,840  to develop the name and brand for the ‘Metro Area Express’ or ‘MAX’ network.  “This is an extraordinary amount of money to spend on a name ... Read More...

$400,000 wasted on more Barnett Government spin

 The Barnett Government’s wasteful spending spree continues with taxpayers forking out more than $400,000 for a new media centre as part of the new Dumas House re-development, Shadow Treasurer Ben Wyatt said today.  Mr Wyatt said just days after revealing it would waste at least $1.5million of taxpayer funds on what is clearly nothing more than a political advertising campaign ahead of the 2013 election, the Barnett Government was spending more than $400,000 on a media centre to sell its ... Read More...

Tax Cash Down the Gurgler

According to the Albany Advertiser approximately $70,000 of tax payer’s money has been needlessly wasted in the construction phase of the Albany Health Campus redevelopment.  After contracting the Australian Lock Company to produce custom built locks for the Health Campus the Health Department then instructed the construction company to switch manufacturers.   The custom built locks were already produced, including engravings with hospital details, at a wholesale cost of $55,000 plus ... Read More...

Unpopular Amendola Report Shelved

The Barnett Government was forced to junk a major report in 2011 that Treasurer Troy Buswell commissioned in 2009 reviewing WA’s industrial relations.  The Government revealed it would not be proceeding with any of the 193 recommendations from the $850,000 review.  The review was conducted by Steven Amendola, one of John Howard’s architects of Work Choices, who undertook it without a formal payment agreement.  When costs blew out well beyond the $500,000 originally estimated the ... Read More...

Plants for Government Offices

The Tenders WA website confirmed the departments of Treasury and Finance hired Ambius Indoor Plants to supply and maintain indoor plants at QBE House, Optima Building and Gordon Stephenson House, at a cost of $234,540.   This is an extraordinary amount of taxpayers’ money to spend on making offices look pretty, especially after demanding 2 per cent efficiency cuts across the public sector. Read More...

Elizabeth Quay

Clearly concerned that the public are uneasy about the $440 million allocated for the Perth Waterfront Project, the Government has now allocated $250,000 to advertise one of Mr Barnett's pet projects. Mr Barnett has taken it upon himself to bestow the name 'Elizabeth Quay' on the site.     Read More...

Solar Panels Bungle

In August 2010 the Premier announced in his budget speech an allocation of $23 million to introduce a residential net feed-in tariff scheme to encourage owners of solar panels to feed surplus electricity into the state power grid. The scheme which was aimed at encouraging people to install solar panels was capped and was supposed to cost taxpayers $23million over four years. We were informed by the Minister for Energy in August 2011 that this scheme had proved so popular that the government had increased ... Read More...

Hospitality expenses

Along with the increase in salaries we note excessive spending in the hospitality budgets of our service utilities. Synergy spent over $1.4 million in corporate hospitality over the past four years and are on track to spend another quarter of a million this financial year. Horizon Power are spending over $20,000 each year for a corporate box at Fremantle Docker matches and also entertain guests (and senior staff) at rugby and cricket matches. WA's State owned power utilities also spent more than $400,000 ... Read More...

Synergy Bill System

Minister Collier claims that he was introducing a new system for paying electricity bills - the system would save $75million over a five year period. The Minister claimed the new system was going to cost $38.5 million to set up but, by early May this cost had blown out to $93.4 million and was still rising.   Read More...

Excessive Executive salaries

While the ordinary domestic users have faced large increases (up to 57%) in their power and water bills, executive salaries in our power and water utilities (Western Power, Verve and Water Corp) have easily exceeded these increases. The number of executives in the utilities who earned more than $150,000 per year has increased dramatically, in one case more than doubling, over the past three years. In 2008, Western Power had 101 staff earning more than $150k- this has increased to 228 staff earning more ... Read More...

Hale House (Premier's Palace) Including Fittings

At a time when housing and rental affordability is causing hardship in the community, the Premier has embarked on a major upgrade of his own accommodation and that of his Ministers.Not happy with his current office accommodation in St George's Terrace, the Premier has decided to spend $27 million on refurbishing the old Hale School Building located opposite Parliament and adjacent to Kings Park.This refurbishment involves the purchase of new, unique furniture including a boardroom table and chairs which ... Read More...

Senseless Development Commission Review Costs $400,000

 Western Australian taxpayers have forked out almost $400,000 for the Barnett Government‟s review into Western Australia‟s development commissions. Questions from Labor revealed the final bill for the review, chaired by the National Party‟s Wendy Duncan, was $386,722. This review was a senseless exercise from the start and was another example of Regional Development Minister Brendon Grylls spending taxpayers‟ money with little oversight or accountability. It was also an ... Read More...

Homeswest House Sits Empty For A Year

 A Homeswest home which could have accommodated up to six people had been left sitting empty for a year.The house - at 136 Victoria Street, Mosman Park – had remained unoccupied while the number of West Australians waiting for a home exceeds 53,000. The latest parliamentary figures show the number of people waiting 53,050. Figures released in parliament show that in excess of 450 houses are sitting empty at this point, not including properties such as this one.The home has been empty for so ... Read More...

$747,000 Forked Out On Empty Government Offices

Documents show the Barnett Government has spent over $747,000 renting empty offices and car bays.WA Labor identified that 45 offices have sat empty under Mr Barnett’s watch, costing taxpayers over $707,000 while almost $40,000 has been spent on empty car bays for public servants. “At a time when household fees and charges have been going through the roof and State debt is blowing-out, it is unacceptable for such a huge amount to be spent on rent for unoccupied buildings,” said ... Read More...