Parliament doesn’t need any more taxpayer-funded spin doctors

13 MAY 2019

Responding to reports that Parliamentary Services has engaged a boutique PR firm, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says:

“Parliamentary Services already has well-paid communications staff, plus 120 MPs who should be responsible for explaining themselves to the public. The last thing Parliament needs is more taxpayer-funded spin doctors.”

“Bringing in a gold-plated PR firm will be far more expensive than managing communications in-house. Hiring and retaining staff should be a core competency for Parliamentary Services, so why is it resorting to using contractors? Is the agency over-funded?”

“What adds salt to the wound for taxpayers is that because Parliament is sheltered from freedom of information laws we may never know how much of our money is being spent. It could be hundreds of thousands, and we’d be none the wiser.”

“The Speaker should front up and explain how much is being spent on this firm, and what value taxpayers are getting for it.”

ENDS

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