The ACT Greens have launched a bid to ban Chief Minister Andrew Barr from appearing in the government's monthly Our CBR newsletter, labelling his regular column as "partisan political advertising" funded by taxpayers.
Closing a 'Loophole' in Campaign Advertising
Greens spokesperson on democracy and integrity, Andrew Braddock, has proposed an amendment to the Campaign Advertising Act to close what he calls a legal loophole. He argues the current law, enacted 15 years ago, has been circumvented to allow the government to use public money to raise its political profile.
"Over the last 15 years since this law came into effect, Labor has found a way to get around the system, raise their profile, and advertise their policies, under the veil of distributing important community news," Mr Braddock said.
He cited an example from the 2025 federal election period, where Mr Barr used his column to promote a federal Labor housing initiative. "Andrew Barr is welcome to promote his brand through Labor-funded channels, but government publications aren't the place for that," Braddock stated.
Government Defends 'Nation-Leading' Oversight
A spokeswoman for Chief Minister Barr hit back, defending the territory's existing advertising framework. She noted the ACT is one of Australia's only jurisdictions with an independent reviewer for government advertising, and laws already ban advertising for electoral benefit, mandating non-partisan, factual communication.
"While the government is open to examining how the law could be further clarified in this regard, it is unclear what problem the Greens are trying to fix," the spokeswoman said. The government has expressed support for referring the Greens' bill to an Assembly committee for further scrutiny.
What the Proposed Ban Would Entail
Mr Braddock's bill seeks to explicitly ban government advertising designed to enhance a political party's reputation rather than inform the public. Key provisions include:
- A ban on ads that "depict, name or otherwise identify" an MLA or election candidate, unless legally required or part of an Assembly report.
- Preventing government advertising of proposed programs or policies unless the campaign is for public consultation.
- Stricter rules in federal election lead-up periods, requiring sign-off from the Chief Minister, Opposition Leader, and minor parties on ACT government ad campaigns.
The controversy centres on the April edition of the Our CBR newsletter, which featured a message from Mr Barr highlighting affordable housing projects and infrastructure works. This message was approved in mid-March, about a fortnight before the 2025 federal election was called.
The political standoff sets the stage for a committee inquiry, pitting the Greens' push for stricter integrity rules against a government confident in its existing, "nation-leading" oversight regime.
