❓ This parliamentary question scrutinises the costs and justification of METRONET branding on Transperth infrastructure, alleging discrepancies between public statements and tender documents regarding advertising value, revenue loss, and the political nature of the branding.
⏳ Awaiting AnswerQoN 2976Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to Public Transport Authority (PTA) tender PTA260040 entitled Provision of Advertising Services on Transperth Train and Bus Infrastructure and Transperth Train Rolling Stock and the Government's use of "METRONET" branding on public infrastructure and I ask:
(a) In October 2024, the Minister stated that METRONET branding upgrades cost only “tens of thousands of dollars”. However, the proposed Licence Agreement in the tender sets the annual “No Charge Media Allocated Value” for Authority-related advertising at $500,000 per annum. Can the Minister explain why the contractual allowance for government-related media value is more than ten times the amount she publicly claimed the branding cost was;
(b) What has been the total cost since 2024 spent on METRONET-branded advertising across Transperth train and bus infrastructure and rolling stock;
(c) The Licensee is required to pay the PTA the greater of a “Guaranteed Percentage of Actual Gross Advertising Revenue” or an “Annual Guaranteed Minimum Fee”. By mandating a 5% "Share of Time" for Government content across all digital Advertising Infrastructure, what is the calculated total loss in potential commercial revenue over the five-year term of this contract;
(d) Given the tender states that the media space is "free," and the PTA is responsible for the cost for producing the ads for these spaces and considering the Government plans to roll out this branding over four to five years to every part of the rail network, what is the total projected taxpayer expenditure for the physical production of these materials;
(e) The tender specifies that the Licensee must be reimbursed for the installation of train interior panels at a rate of $91 plus GST per hour. With 380 panels currently available across the A, B, and C Series trains, what is the total estimated labor cost to be billed to the PTA for the installation of METRONET-branded interior posters;
(f) The proposed tender strictly prohibits advertisements that are "political... in nature" to suppliers. However, given that the Minister herself acknowledged METRONET was an “election campaign” brand used to win votes how does the Government justify this branding as "core business activities" rather than a violation of the PTA’s own ban on political advertising; and
(g) The Minister in 2024 claimed the METRONET rebrand was "operationalising what is a government commitment". Does the Government concede that using Free Advertising Spaces meant for information related to Transport Services to promote a political, election commitment circumvents the transparency required for partisan advertising? If not, why not?
Answered on
(a) In October 2024, the Minister stated that METRONET branding upgrades cost only “tens of thousands of dollars”. However, the proposed Licence Agreement in the tender sets the annual “No Charge Media Allocated Value” for Authority-related advertising at $500,000 per annum. Can the Minister explain why the contractual allowance for government-related media value is more than ten times the amount she publicly claimed the branding cost was;
(b) What has been the total cost since 2024 spent on METRONET-branded advertising across Transperth train and bus infrastructure and rolling stock;
(c) The Licensee is required to pay the PTA the greater of a “Guaranteed Percentage of Actual Gross Advertising Revenue” or an “Annual Guaranteed Minimum Fee”. By mandating a 5% "Share of Time" for Government content across all digital Advertising Infrastructure, what is the calculated total loss in potential commercial revenue over the five-year term of this contract;
(d) Given the tender states that the media space is "free," and the PTA is responsible for the cost for producing the ads for these spaces and considering the Government plans to roll out this branding over four to five years to every part of the rail network, what is the total projected taxpayer expenditure for the physical production of these materials;
(e) The tender specifies that the Licensee must be reimbursed for the installation of train interior panels at a rate of $91 plus GST per hour. With 380 panels currently available across the A, B, and C Series trains, what is the total estimated labor cost to be billed to the PTA for the installation of METRONET-branded interior posters;
(f) The proposed tender strictly prohibits advertisements that are "political... in nature" to suppliers. However, given that the Minister herself acknowledged METRONET was an “election campaign” brand used to win votes how does the Government justify this branding as "core business activities" rather than a violation of the PTA’s own ban on political advertising; and
(g) The Minister in 2024 claimed the METRONET rebrand was "operationalising what is a government commitment". Does the Government concede that using Free Advertising Spaces meant for information related to Transport Services to promote a political, election commitment circumvents the transparency required for partisan advertising? If not, why not?
Answered on
AnswerView source ↗
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This question is awaiting a response from the Minister.
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