Penny Wong defends $14m cost of climate change ads | The Courier-Mail

TAXPAYERS are footing an advertising bill of more than $146,000 a day so the Rudd Government can peddle its warnings about climate change.

The Government has set aside almost $14 million for a four-month climate change campaign, which started in July and ends next month.

The details, revealed in a Budget estimates committee hearing, sparked deputy leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Eric Abetz, to attack Climate Change Minister Penny Wong for being irresponsible and hypocritical.

The hearing was told almost $10 million had been poured into publicity, which includes television advertisements, leaving almost $4 million to be spent within the next few weeks.

"No wonder Climate Change Minister Wong refused to reveal the cost of this advertising when the campaign was launched in July," Senator Abetz said.

"This is an astonishing amount of money to be spent given that the Government legislation has not yet been drafted, let alone gone anywhere near enactment.

"When in opposition, Senator Wong, as Labor's spokesperson on public accountability, repeatedly attacked the then Howard government for running government advertising before legislation has passed the parliament."

He called on the Government to immediately cancel the remaining weeks of the campaign, saying the money could pay for 14,234 dental consultations, 4000 hospital bed nights and 284 hip replacements.

In a statement to The Courier-Mail yesterday, a spokeswoman for Senator Wong attacked Senator Abetz for being a climate change sceptic.

"In Senate Estimates (this week) Senator Abetz was continuing to question whether climate change was real, so no wonder he is against us taking action to tackle it," she said.