Conclusion

In our opinion, the two advertising campaigns did not fully comply with the PAA. Some of the campaign advertisements included political advertising. One campaign did not comply with limits on television advertising. 

The agencies involved in the campaigns interpret the laws differently. They maintain that they complied with their legal obligations.

At the very least, this suggests that the laws are not sufficiently clear. 

The Victorian Government uses advertising to communicate with the public about important issues, such as government services, changes to the law and health and safety. It spent at least $84.6 million on advertising in 2019–20. 

In 2017, the Victorian Parliament introduced new laws to ensure government advertising is in the public interest, and to stop public sector agencies publishing political advertising. 

What we assessed

This audit used the following lines of inquiry and criteria:

BIAs prior to COVID-19

Figure D1 outlines our assessment of departments’ BIAs prior to COVID-19.

FIGURE D1: Our assessment of departments’ BIAs prior to COVID-19

Click the link below to download a PDF copy of Appendix A. Submissions and comments.

Conclusion

Departments responded quickly and flexibly to COVID-19 and continue to do so. Departments’ BCM processes, structures and strategies have helped them quickly set up teams, make decisions and communicate to staff. 

However, departments were not sufficiently prepared for a complex disruption. This meant they had to invest resources into developing documents, streamlining processes, upgrading technology and transitioning to remote working during the early stages of the pandemic. 

Conclusion

The VPS was not adequately prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The VPS had limited central oversight and leadership on business continuity. This meant that it was not able to harness lessons learnt across all departments, and departments did not have a clear understanding of whole of government business continuity priorities in a large-scale disruption. 

The Victorian Government delivers a wide range of services that are important to Victorians’ economic, financial and social wellbeing—from managing state finances to child protection, transport and criminal justice. 

Disruptions to these services can have a significant negative impact on communities, businesses and industries. Effective business continuity strategies ensure that departments can respond quickly to disruptions and continue to deliver prioritised services to the community.