WA Opposition Slams $30m 'State of Energy' Campaign as a Waste of Money

Western Australia's opposition has slammed a $30 million campaign to promote the state's renewable energy transition, calling it a waste of money that could be better spent on upgrading facilities.

Premier Roger Cook announced the 'State of Energy' campaign in March, saying it would "showcase the promise of Western Australia to the world". However, the opposition's shadow energy minister, Steve Thomas, disagrees with the government's approach.

"We all know that we'll be looking at an extension of coal, we know there's not enough renewables in the system, and we know under the current plan the lights will go out by 2029," he said.

Thomas is critical of the government's plan, saying that the $30 million could be better spent on actual upgrades to the energy system.

"They're trying to convince people that this plan will work when we all know that it will not," he said.

The 'State of Energy' campaign will run across TV, radio, print, online, cinema, and billboards over this financial year and next, including $12 million for a "global campaign".

A government spokesperson said the opposition had "no credible plan for … WA's energy future" and "has no credibility on the issue". The spokesperson said the campaign was about "ensuring Western Australians continue to be actively engaged in the state's energy transition".

"It is providing up-to-date information to local industry on the Made in WA manufacturing opportunities generated by the transition and supports state-wide community engagement on planned renewable energy projects including the pipeline of local jobs," they said.

However, strategic communication and public relations expert Katharina Wolf questioned whether the campaign was the best way of achieving those goals.

"If I want to attract investment as a government, if I want to attract potential investors … advertising is probably not the first avenue I would consider because advertising is mass media," the Curtin University associate professor said.

Wolf also questioned how the campaign would be assessed to decide if it was delivering value for money.

"Most government campaigns actually treat evaluation and measurement as an afterthought. It should come right upfront," she said.

The state government spokesperson said the global campaign was being actively measured "across key metrics such as awareness of Western Australia and interest in coming to Western Australia to live, work, study or invest".