According to the Court of Auditors’ report, only three departments spent an average of around 37 million euros per year on media campaigns – comparison: the entire Kern/Mitterlehner government spent less in 2017
Vienna (OTS/SK) – It is no news that there has been an explosion in costs in the area of the ÖVP’s own political apparatus since the ÖVP became chancellor. However, the extent identified in the current Court of Auditors report once again goes beyond all previous ideas. Accordingly, only three departments, those of Nehammer, Brunner and Gewessler, spent a total of 108 million euros on media campaigns etc. within just three years. This corresponds to around 37 million euros per year – without sufficiently guaranteeing the “constitutionally stipulated management principles of thrift, economy and expediency”, as the Court of Auditors criticizes. SPÖ club chairman Philip Kucher has been stating a principle for years: “The worse the federal government’s work, the more money it invests in self-promotion!” For comparison: the entire Kern/Mitterlehner federal government gave ten million euros in 2017 (an election year). less than just the three departments examined in the Court of Auditors report. ****
Year after year, the SPÖ systematically surveys the advertising and PR expenditure as well as the personnel costs of the federal governments – all departments. The following picture emerges:
In 2017, the Kern/Mitterlehner federal government spent a total of 27 million euros on advertising, information campaigns and the like. In the first year under Sebastian Kurz (2018) in the coalition with the FPÖ, advertising expenditure rose to 44.8 million euros – contrary to his announcement of ‘saving in the system’. Under Nehammer/Kogler, this value rose further to 54 million euros in 2022. That means: The black/green federal government now spends 150,000 euros per day on media and PR purposes. Kucher: “The ÖVP chancellorships have led to a doubling of the federal governments’ advertising costs!”
Green government participation changed nothing. On the contrary. “The title of ‘Advertising Empress’ goes to Leonore Gewessler by a wide margin!” says Kucher. The Green Minister’s department spent 12.4 million euros in 2022 alone. Followed by Chancellor Nehammer with over 10 million euros and Finance Minister Brunner with also just under 10 million euros. The next responses to queries on the federal government’s advertising issues in 2023 are expected in February.
Finally, Kucher states that in the future there will be a need for media funding that guarantees a pluralistic and, above all, independent media landscape. (Final) lk/ls
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