The Government Advertising Act 2011 (the Act) sets out the requirements NSW Government agencies must follow when conducting a government advertising campaign. The Act is accompanied by the Government Advertising Regulation 2024 (the Regulation). The NSW Government Advertising Guidelines (the Guidelines) provide additional requirements.

The Act prohibits political advertising and requires a peer review and cost–benefit analysis before a campaign commences.

Section 14 of the Act requires the Auditor-General to audit the activities of one or more NSW Government agencies in relation to government advertising campaigns each financial year. The audit must assess whether a government agency (or agencies) has carried out Government advertising campaigns in an effective, economical and efficient manner and in compliance with the Act, the Regulation, other laws and the Guidelines.

The Auditor-General selected the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) Make the Move 2024–25 advertising campaign for audit.

This multi-year advertising campaign is part of the NSW Government’s $24 million Essential Worker Attraction Program which aims to attract essential workers to regional NSW by promoting employment and lifestyle benefits. It promotes The Welcome Experience, a concierge service that provides local, practical relocation support to registered participants.

DPIRD spent $892,667 on the campaign in 2024–25 and $705,256 in 2023–24.

This audit examined whether DPIRD’s Make the Move 2024–25 campaign was carried out effectively, economically and efficiently, and in compliance with the Act, Regulation, and the Guidelines.

The campaign largely complied with the Act, Regulation, and the Guidelines. It was for an allowable purpose and did not contain political advertising.

The campaign achieved positive operational outcomes, including increased website traffic and registrations for The Welcome Experience. DPIRD exceeded its relocation target and delivered the campaign within its annual budget, using established procurement arrangements.

DPIRD did not complete a cost–benefit analysis before the campaign commenced in 2023–24, despite the cost exceeding $1 million over 2 financial years. Without this, DPIRD could not demonstrate the campaign represented value for money. Compliance certificates issued by the Secretary did not address the cost–benefit analysis requirement.

1. DPIRD should complete a cost–benefit analysis before launching future advertising campaigns likely to exceed $1 million over one or more financial years. It should complete compliance certificates after all regulatory requirements are met.
2. The Department of Customer Service should ensure its advice and guidance clearly communicate agencies’ obligations under the Act, including the requirement to complete a cost-benefit analysis for campaigns likely to exceed $1 million over one or more financial years.

Government advertising is funded by or on behalf of a NSW Government agency. It is disseminated under a commercial advertising distribution agreement through media such as radio, television, the internet, newspapers, billboards or cinemas.

Government advertising campaigns in NSW may:

• encourage changed behaviours or attitudes that will improve public health and safety or quality or life
• maximise public and commercial compliance with laws and regulations
• encourage use of government products and services
• encourage public involvement in government decision-making
• raise awareness of a NSW Government initiative and report on its performance
• help preserve order in the event of a crisis or emergency
• recruit staff, disseminate statutory information or promote business opportunities with the NSW Government.

In 2024–25 the NSW Government spent $79.5 million on government advertising.

Exhibit 1 shows NSW Government advertising expenditure over the last 10 financial years. This represents media advertising expenditure only; it excludes costs such as production.

The Government Advertising Act 2011 (the Act), administered by the Department of Customer Service (DCS), sets out the requirements NSW Government agencies must follow when conducting a government advertising campaign. It is accompanied by the Government Advertising Regulation 2024 (the Regulation) and the NSW Government Advertising Guidelines (the Guidelines).

Source: Audit Office of NSW analysis of government advertising legislation and supporting documentation.

Section 6 of the Act prohibits political advertising as part of a NSW Government advertising campaign. Government advertising campaigns must not:

• influence (directly or indirectly) support for a political party
• contain the name, voice or image of a minister, a member of Parliament or a candidate nominated for election to Parliament
• contain the name, logo, slogan or any other reference to a political party.

The Guidelines provide further information for agencies to deliver government advertising campaigns that are politically neutral and clearly distinguishable from party political messages.

Under the Act, government advertising campaigns must not commence unless the head of an agency has signed a compliance certificate stating that the campaign:

• complies with the Act, the Regulation and the Guidelines
• contains accurate information
• is necessary to achieve a public purpose and is supported by analysis and research
• is an efficient and cost-effective means of achieving its public purpose.

Table 2 summarises the key legislative and policy requirements that agencies must meet before commencing an advertising campaign.

Source: Government Advertising Act 2011 and Government Advertising Regulation 2024.

The Act defines further requirements for campaigns likely to exceed $250,000 or $1 million.

Government advertising campaigns likely to cost over $250,000 are subject to peer review before commencement. DCS staff assess the proposed advertising campaign against criteria in the Guidelines in 2 stages:

• Budget approval – government agencies submit an advertising budget proposal to the DCS Advertising Reviews and Effectiveness Team. The team reviews the proposal and makes recommendations to the Expenditure Review Committee (ERC) of Cabinet. The ERC is responsible for approving annual campaign budgets.
• Peer review of the advertising campaign – the DCS team assesses the need for the proposed advertising campaign, the creative and media strategy (including objectives and target audiences) and how the agency will manage the campaign. This review considers:
  • alignment with NSW Government priorities and commitments, and the life of NSW customers, including approaches to regional, Aboriginal or culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) customers
  • creative strategy
  • media strategy
  • how the advertising integrates with other communication approaches
  • clarity and appropriateness of campaign objectives and evaluation approaches
  • likely effectiveness of the campaign based on previous campaign performances (if it is a repeat) and campaign research.

Peer reviews provide independent assurance for the agency regarding the campaign's compliance with legislative and policy obligations.

The Act also requires an agency proposing to run a government advertising campaign likely to cost more than $1 million to complete a cost-benefit analysis before the campaign commences. A cost–benefit analysis evaluates the net economic cost or benefit of the campaign and assesses options for achieving these objectives, including the option of not advertising.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is responsible for protecting, supporting and developing the state’s primary industries and regional economies.

DPIRD’s Make the Move advertising campaign aimed to encourage people to relocate from metropolitan areas to regional NSW. The campaign promoted regional NSW as an attractive place for essential workers, aligned with the objectives to address workforce shortages.

Under the Act, the Secretary of DPIRD signs advertising compliance certificates.

The Make the Move campaign is part of the NSW Government’s Essential Worker Attraction Program, a whole-of-government initiative that addresses workforce shortages in regional and rural NSW.

The program combines advertising with practical relocation support, incentives and settlement services such as The Welcome Experience. Make the Move is the primary communications mechanism to attract target audiences and direct them to the broader workforce initiatives.

By encouraging people to relocate to regional NSW, Make the Move can help boost labour supplies by encouraging more people to stay in or move to regional areas of greatest need. This can underpin the productivity and viability of primary industries and regional businesses. The campaign aligns with:

• the Regional Economic Development Strategies, which identifies workforce availability, population growth and liveability as essential to sustainable regional economies
• The NSW Workforce Strategy, which recognises regional workforce shortages as a systemic issue that requires coordinated action across government to improve workforce mobility and attraction
• broader whole-of-government objectives relating to regional lifestyles, service access and community wellbeing, including outcomes relevant to Aboriginal and regional communities.

Attracting or retaining essential workers to regional NSW will improve community access to health, education and emergency services in regional areas. This can support social cohesion and community resilience, which are recurring themes across NSW regional and social policy frameworks.

The campaign was for an allowable purpose under the Guidelines

As noted in 3.3, Section 6 of the Act prohibits political advertising as part of a government advertising campaign. The review of the campaign materials found no matters that would breach these requirements.

Section 4 of the Act states that government advertising campaigns are for ‘the dissemination to members of the public information about a government program, policy or initiative, or about any public health or safety or other matter’. To support this, the Guidelines list the objectives that a government advertising campaign could achieve, including raising awareness of a planned NSW Government initiative.

In aiming to increase awareness of the benefits of living in regional NSW, the campaign was for an allowable purpose under the Guidelines.

The campaign largely complied with the Act’s mandatory requirements

Agencies must comply with a range of requirements set out in the Act. Before a campaign commences, the head of the agency must issue an advertising compliance certificate that states that, in the opinion of the head of the agency, the proposed campaign:

• complies with the Act, the Regulation and the Guidelines
• contains accurate information
• is necessary to achieve a public purpose and is supported by analysis and research
• is an efficient and cost-effective means of achieving that public purpose
• has been subject to a peer review, confirmed by a peer review completion letter from the DCS
• has completed a cost-benefit analysis, if required.

DPIRD’s Secretary issued compliance certificates for Burst 1 (July 2024) and Bursts 2 and 3 (December 2024) of the campaign. These stated the campaign:

• complied with the Act, the Regulation and the Guidelines
• was supported by analysis and research, and
• represented an efficient and cost-effective means of achieving a public purpose.

The certificates were based on DPIRD’s briefings that outlined the campaign’s purpose and background, supporting analysis, financial impact and stakeholder consultation. While briefings did not address whether a cost–benefit analysis was required, DPIRD interpreted the cost–benefit analysis requirement as only applying if the annual budget exceeded $1 million, consistent with DCS advice.

DPIRD did not complete a cost-benefit analysis before commencement of the Make the Move campaign in 2023–24

The Welcome Experience is essential to the NSW Government’s Essential Worker Attraction program. The NSW Government approved $24 million in funding for Essential Worker Attraction in 2022–23, with funding for advertising determined annually.

In 2024–25 the actual cost of the Make the Move campaign was $892,667 against an approved budget of $900,000 and in 2023–24 it was $705,256 against an approved budget of $705,000. An additional $900,000 is budgeted for 2025–26.

Section 7 of the Act states that:

DPIRD did not complete a cost–benefit analysis before commencing the Make the Move campaign in 2023–24, advising it interpreted that the cost–benefit analysis requirement as applying to campaigns with annual budgets exceeding $1 million, consistent with advice it received from DCS.

The Act requires agencies to consider the total cost of a campaign over its duration. It does not limit this assessment to annual budget allocations. In the absence of a cost–benefit analysis, DPIRD could not demonstrate that the campaign represented value for money.

DPIRD completed peer reviews

Before agencies can proceed with a Government advertising campaign above the $250,000 threshold, DCS:

• reviews the business cases and campaign proposals
• provides advice on supporting evidence and alignment with whole-of-government priorities
• assesses materials before launch.

DCS also reviews post-campaign activities such as evaluation and reporting.

DPIRD completed the Burst 1 peer review process in June 2024 and received in-principle budget support. The Burst 2 and 3 peer reviews were completed in November 2024, prior to the campaign launch.

There were separate peer reviews for the 2023–24 and 2024–25 campaigns.

All facts were presented accurately, objectively, and in a fair and accessible manner

Section 2 of the Guidelines states that all government advertising campaigns must adhere to the principles of:

• accuracy in the presentation of all facts, statistics, comparisons and other arguments; all facts and claims of fact included in government advertising campaigns must be able to be substantiated
• objective presentation in a fair and accessible manner.

The campaign materials complied with these principles.

It promoted regional NSW as an attractive place for essential workers and their families by emphasising improved quality of life, including community connection, work‑life balance and housing affordability.

It also highlighted government‑provided financial and career incentives and The Welcome Experience service. These statements in the advertising were substantiated.

¹ Section 4 of the Regulation increased this threshold to $250,000.

DPIRD conducted research to justify the campaign need and approach

Section 8(2) of the Act and section 5.2 of the Guidelines require agencies to demonstrate justification for campaign need through sound data, analysis and research.

To justify the campaign, DPIRD outlined the critical workforce shortages across regional NSW and how this impacts access to essential services. It conducted research to inform the need for, and approach to, the campaign.

DPIRD used research from third‑party sources that cited persistent and growing workforce shortages in regional NSW, particularly in education, health, emergency and family and community services – shortages exceeding that of metropolitan areas.

Research highlighted how:

• the low number of essential workers in regional NSW limits access to basic services such as healthcare, education and emergency support, particularly in smaller and more vulnerable communities, including older people and people with disability
• training the local workforce alone was unlikely to address workforce shortages in the short term, and that attracting suitably qualified workers from metropolitan areas was a more practical response
• most essential workers were not seriously considering relocation, despite their awareness of issues, indicating that awareness alone would not influence behaviour; paid advertising could address lifestyle, isolation and family concerns more effectively than word‑of‑mouth or internal government communication channels
• the campaign should focus on critical workforce shortages in essential service sectors, including childcare, aged care, disability services and private medical services that were not a focus of the Year 1 campaign but were a challenge in regional communities.

Baseline research commissioned before the Make the Move 2023–24 campaign commenced assessed awareness, attitudes and relocation intent among essential workers. It found that:

• 74% of essential workers were aware that the NSW Government was seeking to attract workers to regional NSW, yet only 38% had seen related communications or advertising
• only 16% of essential workers would seriously consider relocating to regional NSW, while 38% would only possibly consider it and 25% would not consider it at all
• awareness of government relocation support programs, including The Welcome Experience, was limited.

These findings identified a gap between general awareness and behavioural intent, supporting the need for a coordinated, multi‑year advertising and communications campaign.

The research also indicated that targeted paid advertising highlighting the practical benefits of regional living was more effective in influencing relocation decisions than broad place‑based or tourism marketing.

Campaign developed as part of whole-of-government workforce and regional development priorities

Section 5.2 of the Guidelines requires agencies to demonstrate a link between a campaign and relevant NSW Government priorities and objectives. Section 5.3 requires agencies to demonstrate that mainstream advertising is the most appropriate medium when considered against available cost-effective, non-advertising alternatives.

The wider, whole‑of‑government Essential Worker Attraction program combines paid advertising with non‑advertising measures, such as local relocation and settlement support through The Welcome Experience. DPIRD designed the campaign to support these measures by increasing awareness of available assistance and guiding essential workers to existing services, rather than relying on advertising alone to address workforce shortages in regional NSW.

The peer review found that paid advertising was necessary given non‑advertising and non-paid, targeted communication and engagement activities had not changed behaviour at the scale required. Despite a long‑running, agency‑led promotion and support programs, awareness of relocation assistance remained low, and few workers were seriously considering relocation.

Clear objectives and targets that align with NSW Government priorities were established

Section 5.2 of the Guidelines also requires campaign objectives to be clearly set out and realistic.

The objective of the campaign was to:

• increase the number of essential workers seriously considering relocating to regional NSW
• support those who relocate to settle successfully and remain long-term.

A range of whole-of-government workforce and regional development strategies informed these objectives, including:

• the NSW State Outcomes 2021–2026, which aims to strengthen regional economies, build a skilled workforce and improve access to essential services
• the NSW Government’s Fresh Start Plan 2023, which seeks to recruit and retain health workers and teachers and reduce workforce attrition in these professions
• the Regional Economic Development Strategies, which aim to strengthen regional economies and essential services through investment in schools, hospitals and emergency services infrastructure
• recruitment activities by non-government organisations seeking essential workers in disability, aged care, health, education, childcare and Aboriginal medical services.

The campaign sought to positively influence attitudes towards regional living, reduce perceived barriers to relocation, and ultimately drive behavioural change towards relocation to regional communities experiencing workforce shortages.

DPIRD developed performance indicators and measurable targets against these objectives (Table 3).

Source: DPIRD.

Peer review process completed for the campaign

With the 2024–25 campaign delivered in 3 discrete bursts, the 2-step peer review process included:

• an interim peer review of an initial component of $198,559 on 7 June 2024 (Burst 1)
• the final component of $701,441 on 24 November 2024 (Bursts 2 and 3).

Burst 1 largely re-used creative material from the Make the Move 2023–24 campaign. This enabled an earlier commencement to align with peak job vacancy periods, the winter season (when essential workers are more likely to visit regional areas and consider relocation) and winter school holidays.

At the time of peer review, DPIRD could not yet quantify the impact of the Make the Move 2023–24 campaign and relied on earlier baseline research. The research showed high awareness of the NSW Government’s intent, however, advertising exposure, awareness of support programs and serious consideration of relocation were low. This indicated the need for a sustained multi-year campaign to address perceptions and barriers to regional relocation.

Bursts 2 and 3 were subject to a separate peer review as they required additional development and approvals, including policy compliance and creative sign off for CALD media.

Absence of a cost-benefit analysis means the investment decision may have been made without a clear view of value for money

Carrying out a cost–benefit analysis before campaign commencement informs the head of an agency if a proposed Government advertising campaign is an efficient and cost-effective means of achieving a public purpose. DPIRD did not complete this analysis at the commencement of the Make the Move campaign in 2023–24, despite the cumulative cost to 30 June 2025 of $1.597 million. A further expenditure of $900,000 is budgeted for 2025–26.

This exceeded the $1 million threshold in the Act, requiring a cost–benefit analysis before commencement.

DCS provided evidence that other agencies applied the same interpretation for repeat campaigns and, consequently, did not complete analyses where cumulative campaign costs over multiple years exceeded $1 million.

A cost–benefit analysis supports decision-making by assessing the likely costs and benefits of a campaign over its duration, considers alternatives to advertising and can inform evaluation by clarifying intended outcomes and measures.

Campaign funded within the annual budget

Section 5.4 of the Guidelines requires a sound approach to budget management, including whether the campaign budget is appropriate to achieve the campaign’s objectives, and whether the campaign production costs are reasonable.

DPIRD delivered its campaign within the established budget.

Source: DPIRD.

The media plan outlined expenditure by month to allow tracking and reconciliation with the allocated budget as well as breakdowns and forecasts by media type and CALD audiences. The digital plan included forecasts by digital media type and included information about creative messaging and placement for each item.

Actual expenditure data shows that 100% of media spend targeted metropolitan audiences, reflecting the campaign’s focus on encouraging metropolitan‑based essential workers to relocate to regional NSW.

The NSW Government Multicultural and Aboriginal Advertising Policy requires at least 9% of media expenditure to be directed to Aboriginal and multicultural audiences. Actual expenditure for these audiences was 9.5% (6.7% multicultural and 2.8% Aboriginal), exceeding the minimum requirement but falling short of the planned allocation of 10.4%.

DPIRD used appropriate procurement arrangements

Section 5.4 of the Guidelines requires a sound approach to procurement.

DPIRD used the NSW Government’s contract media agency to manage media planning and buying services for the campaign, leveraging whole-of-government arrangements designed to achieve competitive rates and probity.

It engaged other suppliers through a request for quote process under the NSW Advertising and Digital Communication Services Prequalification Scheme. This supported competitive pricing and appropriate supplier selection, achieving cost-effective procurement.

DPIRD drew from lessons learned and other survey outcomes to improve the effectiveness of the campaign

Section 5.3 of the Guidelines require agencies to demonstrate they have considered the effectiveness of the tactical approach as well as creative and media strategies for the campaign. Agencies can also benefit from examining past campaigns to improve effectiveness.

The Make the Move 2023–24 campaign report informed the strategy for the campaign, with interim results used for Burst 1.

Other information that shaped the campaign strategies and messaging included:

• the baseline research showing high awareness of the NSW Government’s intent but low advertising exposure and relocation consideration, with barriers including separation from support networks, limited access to services and amenities, lifestyle disruption, social isolation and health service availability, indicating the need for broader reach and sustained messaging
• results from the Burst 1 peer review, evaluation and stakeholder feedback, which refined the campaign objectives and supported expanding The Welcome Experience to new regions, non-government workers and additional essential service sectors with repeated messaging
• research by the Regional Australia Institute indicating 43% of metropolitan residents take 6 to 12 months to decide to relocate after first considering a move, highlighting that relocation decisions are typically slow and deliberate
• insights from the 2023–24 campaign on engaging Aboriginal audiences through Aboriginal‑led case studies and targeted channels, developed with the former Department of Regional NSW Aboriginal Outcomes Team, consistent with evidence that Aboriginal employment initiatives are most effective when community‑led and locally focused
• media performance results from the 2023–24 campaign showing strong outcomes from LinkedIn and Meta retargeting and reduced efficiency from overly narrow YouTube targeting, leading to broader targeting and refined optimisation
• creative lessons from the 2023–24 campaign indicating the campaign exceeded cost‑per‑completed‑view benchmarks on YouTube and NITV, with family‑focused case studies performing strongest – informing tighter targeting of mid‑career essential workers and more streamlined, efficient creative in 2024–25.

DPIRD presented these observations and recommendations at kick-off briefings before they were integrated into campaign planning.

The campaign exceeded its relocation target and largely achieved positive outcomes

Section 5.4 of the Guidelines require government advertising campaigns demonstrate measurable campaign objectives and that a sound approach to evaluation. These objectives should be specific and achievable.

The campaign effectiveness report met these requirements (see tables 5, 6 and 7). The campaign’s positive results included:

• an increase in website traffic by 16% year-on-year, averaging over 1,000 daily sessions
• an increase in The Welcome Experience registrations by 44% or around 4,700 unique registrations
• one in 4 registrants going on to relocate to regional NSW, exceeding the program target.

The campaign did not meet targets for key attitudinal measures, including relevance, engagement, believability, and serious consideration.

DPIRD attributes this to a combination of creative and media factors, such as the greater use of short‑form advertising, changes in audience targeting, as well as external pressures including cost‑of‑living constraints, housing availability and wage dissatisfaction. These factors contributed to weaker relocation sentiment despite strong conversion results.

Source: DPIRD.

Source: DPIRD.

Table 6 shows most advertising channels delivered efficient outcomes in bursts 2 and 3, with several exceeding planned benchmarks. Outdoor advertising, digital display and native advertising exceeded impressions targets, while results for traffic‑focused activity were mixed. Aboriginal and CALD print activity met planned insertions, while mobile displays fell short of planned impressions.

DPIRD will use these findings to refine its approach for 2025–26. This includes:

• clearer and more targeted messaging
• channel optimisation
• improved audience targeting, including for CALD audiences
• prioritising longer form content to support engagement
• short‑form advertising for sequencing and retargeting.

Source: DPIRD.

Table 7 shows the campaign exceeded targets for website visitation, registrations for The Welcome Experience and registrants moving to regional NSW. This indicates strong digital engagement and conversion.

However, it did not meet targets for key awareness and attitudinal outcomes, with prompted awareness, perceived benefits of regional living, positive attitudes toward relocation, and serious consideration of relocating all below target.

Post-campaign evaluation and effectiveness assessment was delayed

DPIRD submitted its campaign effectiveness report to DCS on 17 November 2025. The report was late – it was due 30 September 2025 – but experienced delays in receiving reconciled information from the media agency. This also occurred with the 2023–24 report.

In both years, DCS utilised interim results to inform peer review and ensure DPIRD appropriately incorporated recommendations to strengthen the campaign.

These delays highlight the need to strengthen planning, monitoring and management of third‑party dependencies to enable timely evaluation of campaign performance and peer review.

Media channels and messaging were appropriate for its target audiences, and ensured appropriate and inclusive messaging

Section 5.2 of the Guidelines require government agencies to consider whether tactical approaches and creative and media strategies will be effective for the campaign issue and target audience. Agencies should consider if the target audience is defined and understood, and whether CALD and Aboriginal communities and their needs were considered.

DPIRD used industry and academic frameworks to guide audience selection for the campaign. It assessed NSW Government priorities, labour market evidence and baseline research. It also used a 2023 DRNSW-commissioned Creative Concept Market Research Report, which found the selected audiences were motivated to relocate to regional NSW due to perceived lifestyle benefits.

Additional research indicated that people born between 1981 and 1996 and overseas‑born professionals living in metropolitan NSW are increasingly attracted to regional areas due to cost of living and housing pressures.

DPIRD aimed for appropriate and inclusive messaging, consistent with NSW Government advertising requirements. The campaign featured real case studies representing different professions and regional locations, with messaging focused on lifestyle, community connection and employment opportunities rather than promotional or political content. Digital and social media channels applied standard accessibility features supported by those platforms.

These measures supported equitable access to campaign information and reduced barriers to engagement for audiences with disability.

DPIRD identified and considered the special messaging requirements for Aboriginal and CALD communities. Testing and evaluation by consultants with specialist knowledge of these communities informed the approach.

DPIRD also considered the needs of people living with a disability. For example, it included closed captioning for its video advertisement, in line with the preferences for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.