6 days ago
‘Divisive and wasteful': Victorian government under fire over secret plan to spend millions of taxpayer funds on Voice campaign
Victoria's Labor government is under fire after secret documents were unearthed showing they signed off on a plan to spend millions of taxpayer funds to back the Yes campaign during the Voice referendum.
Documents released under freedom of information laws show the government of former premier Daniel Andrews approved a plan to spend $6.5 million of taxpayer funds on the Yes campaign, the Herald Sun has revealed.
Institute of Public Affairs deputy executive director Daniel Wild – a strong critic of the Voice – told the spending commitment highlighted the contempt Australia's political class has for the values of mainstream Australians.
"This is yet another example of the divisive and wasteful reign of Daniel Andrews, the effects of which will be felt by Victorians for generations to come," Mr Wild said.
"The latest revelations reinforce the extent to which the political class and elites in our society are at war with mainstream Australians and our values."
The Herald Sun revealed on Wednesday that former assistant treasurer Danny Pearson had signed off on a plan to reallocate funding set aside to communicate the state's Indigenous Treaty process to back the Yes campaign.
The plan was proposed by Labor's Gabrielle Williams, then minister for Treaty and First Peoples, and was approved on September 25, 2023 - just weeks before the Constitutional amendment was overwhelmingly rejected at the October 2023 referendum – including by more than 54 per cent of Victorians.
However a spokesperson for the state government said the $6.5 million of taxpayer funds was never spent on the Voice campaign and was later reallocated back to communicating the state's Treaty plans.
'The Victorian Government did not spend any money on the Commonwealth Voice referendum,' the spokesperson said.
But 'No' campaign advocate Warren Mundine said it was remarkable the government had even considered spending the money when it was already "quite definite" the Voice would be rejected by the public.
The IPA's Mr Wild added that current Premier Jacinta Allan - who was Daniel Andrews' deputy and chosen successor - should "apologise to Victorians for this waste of their money, and immediately commit to cease all further government spending on voice, treaty, and truth activities."
