The Government issues hundreds of media statements a year. Often the same pot of money headlines release after release, one region or one ribbon-cutting at a time. That isn't illegal, and it isn't new money each time. But each release headlines the full program total, which can leave readers thinking far more is being spent than really is.
Headline figures
- 6,706: WA Government media statements analysed (Jan 2023 to 13 Oct 2026).
- 14: statements mentioning the same $72.6m family and domestic violence package (Nov 2023 to Dec 2024).
- 10 + 9: Regional Economic Development (RED) grant releases, one per region, for $50.85m (2023) and $55.85m (2024).
- 8: releases for one $43.5m EV charger network.
- 11: statements on Budget day 2024 (9 May) that all carried the same "$12.8 billion" health figure.
The tracker
All counts come from our database of wa.gov.au media statements (statements whose text contains the figure). Each example was checked by hand.
| Program | Amount | Statements | Period | First & latest example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family & domestic violence package | $72.6m | 14 | Nov 2023 – Dec 2024 | 28 Nov 2023; 20 Sep 2024 |
| Health & mental health (Budget day) | $12.8bn | 11 | 9 May 2024 (10 regional releases + 1 main) | Regional WA; Kimberley |
| RED grants round (2023) | $50.85m | 10 | May – Nov 2023 | 4 May 2023; 7 Nov 2023 |
| RED grants round (2024) | $55.85m | 9 | Sep – Nov 2024 | 3 Sep 2024; 8 Nov 2024 |
| WA EV Network | $43.5m | 8 | Apr 2023 – Jan 2025 | 6 Apr 2023; 30 Jan 2025 |
| Voluntary firearm buyback | $64.3m | 7 | Feb – Sep 2024 | 14 Feb 2024; 11 Sep 2024 |
| Wind energy manufacturing fund | $8m | 4 | Jun 2024 – Sep 2025 | 20 Jun 2024; 17 Sep 2025 |
- Fact: Each row is one program appearing in multiple statements, as shown in the linked originals.
- Our read: Most of these are a single program announced in regional or recipient tranches. That's standard PR, not evidence that the money was double-counted in the Budget. We have not confirmed from the budget papers that any "new" announcement reused an existing allocation. The wind fund comes closest: the same $8m fund was announced as an "agreement" (Jun 2024), a "new program" (Dec 2024), a "new fund" (Jul 2025), and a "jobs boost" (Sep 2025).
- Fact: X-TEND WA was announced in 6 separate media statements with X-TEND in the title in 22 months: 27 Feb 2023, 30 Jun 2023, 22 Aug 2023, 23 Feb 2024, 27 May 2024 and 11 Dec 2024 (DPC media statements).
What we'd do: the One-Statement Rule
- Every government media statement must say whether the money is new, previously announced (with the date), or part of an existing program, and must give the program's total spent to date.
- Publish a public register of announcements linked to budget line items.
- Cap the government media budget in election years.