Mike Rann has wasted $250,000 advertising a non-existent website address as part of his supposed nurse recruitment advertising campaign, Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today.
Mr Rann was heavily criticised last week for an expensive ‘feel good’ health advertising campaign as part of his pre-election campaign strategy.
The Rann Government’s defence to that criticism was that it was actually a nurse recruitment advertising campaign and had nothing to do with any pre-election positioning.
“However, it has now been revealed that Mr Rann’s supposed nurse recruitment campaign actually advertised a non-existent website address: www.nursingsa.com.au,” Mr Lucas said today.
“If there were any viewers of the television commercials who were prompted to try and get more information they would have found out quickly that this website address doesn’t exist!
“This is an embarrassing gaffe by Mr Rann and it is clear that he and his Cabinet Communications Committee are so busy churning out such a large number of new pre-election advertising campaigns they haven’t had the time to check the final copy of each campaign ad for accuracy!
“Further holes in Mr Rann’s ‘nurse recruitment’ defence have been exposed by the revelation that he started his supposed campaign about a month after the closure of applications for all registered nurse courses at the three South Australian universities.
“It would seem logical to most people that if you were going to spend $250,000 on a nurse recruitment campaign you would do it before applications closed for registered nurse courses at all of our universities!
“Obviously, that is, logical to everyone except Mr Rann!”