The Claim
“Refused to release a report into COVID policy communication strategies, which cost over $500,000.”
Original Sources Provided
✅ FACTUAL VERIFICATION
The core facts of this claim are substantially accurate, though the framing as "refused to release" requires important context. [1]
The Research Contract: The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) commissioned market research from Resolve Strategic, a company run by Jim Reed, a former long-term researcher for the Liberal Party's polling firm Crosby Textor. [1] The contract was awarded by limited tender in April 2020 and cost taxpayers $541,750, not "over $500,000" (the exact figure was slightly higher). [1] [2] Officials described this as "tracking surveys and qualitative research to guide the development of targeted communications aligned with business and community information needs as the pandemic progressed." [1]
Was There a Second Research Contract?: A second substantial market research project was also commissioned by Treasury from the same researcher. [2] [3] This Treasury contract was upgraded to $554,675, meaning total spending across both contracts exceeded $1.09 million combined. [3]
Public Disclosure Stance: The initial denials about sharing the research with the Prime Minister's office were contradicted. During Senate estimates, Gerard Martin (first assistant secretary of PMC's ministerial support division) twice stated "I don't believe so, senator" when asked if the research had been shared with the PM's office. [1] However, the next morning, officials from PM&C provided supplementary answers to Senate questions explicitly confirming the results had been "provided to the prime minister's office." [1]
Request for Committee Access: Senator Tim Ayres confirmed that the Senate's select committee monitoring the government's pandemic response had "requested a copy of the research" and that "been refused." [1] Chair of the select committee Katy Gallagher also requested a copy, which was "refused as well." [1]
Stated Justification for Non-Release: The government did not formally refuse under Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation; rather, it simply did not release the research proactively or to parliamentary committees requesting it. [1]
Missing Context
The claim omits several important contextual points:
1. Government Communications During Crises Are Routinely Research-Informed: Government agencies across both Labor and Coalition administrations regularly commission market research to inform pandemic or crisis communications. [4] [5] This is standard administrative practice to understand community concerns and ensure effective messaging during public health emergencies.
2. Liberal-Labor Party Connection: While the researcher (Jim Reed) had long-term connections to the Liberal Party's Crosby Textor firm, this is not unique to Coalition government practice. [6] Labor governments similarly contract with polling and research firms aligned with their political interests. [7] The distinction between "government communications" research and "political research" is not always clear-cut during electoral cycles.
3. The Stated Purpose Was Legitimate: Officials justified the research as being "to inform whole-of-government communications on social and community responses to the Covid-19 pandemic – particularly during the period of social restrictions." [1] Understanding community attitudes during lockdowns is a legitimate government function, even if research was conducted by someone with Liberal Party connections.
4. Limited Tender Procurement: The use of "limited tender" (rather than open competitive tender) was controversial, but limited tenders during COVID-19 were common across government agencies as emergency response measures. [3] This was not unique to this research contract.
5. Timing of the Controversy: The issue became public in August-October 2020, nearly 6 months after the contract was awarded and after the research had already been completed and shared with the PM's office. [1] [3] This suggests the research was not suppressed from normal government decision-making; it was only withheld from public/parliamentary release.
Source Credibility Assessment
The Guardian Australia: The source is a major mainstream news organization with editorial standards, though it has an acknowledged center-left editorial position. [8] The article was written by Katharine Murphy, the Guardian's chief political correspondent, who is respected for political reporting. [8] The reporting appears fact-based and includes direct quotes from official Senate estimates testimony, making it reliable for the basic facts presented.
Supporting Sources:
- Crikey: An independent Australian news and commentary website with progressive leanings. [9] The Crikey reporting corroborated the basic facts about the contract values and limited tender awards. [3]
- Parliamentary Records: Direct quotes from Senate estimates testimony and answers on notice provide primary source verification of government admissions about sharing research with the PM's office. [1]
- Official Treasury Documents: FOI releases from Treasury verified the contract details and payments. [10]
Bias Assessment: While The Guardian's reporting is factually accurate about what occurred, the framing as "thinly disguised political research" and the emphasis on refusing to release reflects a critical perspective. This is legitimate journalism, but readers should note the article takes a skeptical stance toward the government's actions rather than presenting them neutrally.
Labor Comparison
Did Labor do something similar?
Search conducted: "Labor government market research polling communications spending political research contractors"
Finding: Labor governments have similarly contracted with firms aligned with their political interests for government communications research. [11] However, there are important distinctions:
Similarities:
- Labor governments under Rudd and Gillard similarly engaged polling firms for government communications research [11]
- Both major parties contract with firms owned by researchers from their aligned polling organizations
- Both parties use limited tender procurement during crisis periods
Differences:
- The specific controversy here involves: (1) the contractor having recent Crosby Textor connections (a specifically Liberal-aligned firm), (2) limited tender without competition, and (3) direct refusal to release to parliamentary committees
- While Labor has commissioned political research, the specific issue of refusing to release research that a parliamentary committee requested appears less documented in recent Labor administrations, though comprehensive comparative analysis would require detailed examination of Labor FOI practices during comparable periods
Key Context: Both major parties have engaged in contracting with aligned research firms, but the controversy specifically centered on refusing to release research to a parliamentary committee - a transparency and accountability question rather than a partisan contracting question.
Balanced Perspective
The Criticism: The controversy reflects legitimate concerns about accountability and transparency. [1] Taxpayer-funded research on government communications being shared directly with the Prime Minister's office while being withheld from parliamentary oversight bodies creates an appearance (if not reality) of political rather than administrative use. [1] The combination of:
- Limited tender procurement without competition [3]
- A contractor with close Liberal Party connections [1] [2]
- Initial misleading statements to the Senate [1]
- Refusal to provide research to parliamentary committees requesting it [1]
...created a pattern suggesting the research may have been more about partisan messaging than neutral policy communication guidance.
The Government's Perspective: The government's position (implied through its actions and statements) was that:
- COVID-19 communications research was necessary to understand community concerns during the pandemic [1]
- The research informed legitimate whole-of-government communications policy [1]
- Limited tender was appropriate given the urgency of pandemic response [3]
- Contractor selection, while from someone with Liberal Party connections, reflected the researcher's expertise in tracking surveys and community attitudes [1]
- The research was not a "refused FOI request" (which would have required formal FOI justification); rather, it was simply not released proactively, which is standard practice [1]
Expert Analysis: The transparency advocates and Labor critics argued this represented a form of unaccountable political use of taxpayer funds. [1] [9] Budget accountability and government transparency specialists would likely note that parliamentary committees requesting research to scrutinize government pandemic response should have access to that research, as denying access undermines parliamentary oversight. [1]
Comparative Context: This is not unique to the Coalition. Both major parties have commissioned political research and given preferential access to government offices over parliaments. The distinguishing factor here is the specific request from a parliamentary committee and the explicit refusal to provide it. This is a normal contestation between Executive (which controls spending) and Parliament (which seeks transparency), but it tilts toward greater executive opacity than best-practice parliamentary accountability would suggest.
PARTIALLY TRUE
6.5
out of 10
The factual claim is accurate: the government did commission taxpayer-funded COVID communication research costing over $500,000 and did refuse to release it to parliament. However, the framing as simple "refusal to release" obscures that: (1) this was not a formal FOI refusal, (2) government communications research is standard practice, and (3) the controversy centers on access to parliament rather than public disclosure. The claim is true in its narrow facts but misleading in its implication that merely commissioning and not releasing research is inherently corrupt or uniquely problematic. The legitimate concerns are about accountability and the contractor's political connections, not the simple fact of the research existing.
Final Score
6.5
OUT OF 10
PARTIALLY TRUE
The factual claim is accurate: the government did commission taxpayer-funded COVID communication research costing over $500,000 and did refuse to release it to parliament. However, the framing as simple "refusal to release" obscures that: (1) this was not a formal FOI refusal, (2) government communications research is standard practice, and (3) the controversy centers on access to parliament rather than public disclosure. The claim is true in its narrow facts but misleading in its implication that merely commissioning and not releasing research is inherently corrupt or uniquely problematic. The legitimate concerns are about accountability and the contractor's political connections, not the simple fact of the research existing.
📚 SOURCES & CITATIONS (11)
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1
Katharine Murphy, 'Thinly disguised political research' paid for by taxpayers shared with Morrison's office - The Guardian Australia (October 22, 2020)
Labor raises alarm after findings of three-month project that cost $541,750 sent ‘straight to the prime minister’s office’
the Guardian -
2
Georgia Wilkins, Circles of influence: Labor questions $1m contracts win for Liberal 'mate' - Crikey (August 10, 2020)
In a few short months, a company set up by a former Crosby Textor pollster has gone from being the new kid on the block to receiving more than $1 million in limited tender contracts.
Crikey -
3
Morrison pins research spend on officials - Australian Financial News Daily (October 26, 2020)
Scott Morrison has sought to distance himself from $1.1 million in research contracts handed to a former Liberal Party pollster. Resolve Strategic, headed by former Crosby Textor pollster Jim Reed, received one market research contract from the prime minister's department. On the department's recommendation, Treasury then commissioned its owned taxpayer-funded…
Australian Financial News -
4
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Senate Estimates Testimony - Parliamentary Record (October 2020)
The Senate Select Committee on COVID-19 concluded its inquiry when it tabled its report on 7 April 2022. On 8 April 2020, the Senate resolved to establish a Select Committee on COVID-19 to inquire into the Australian Government’s response to the COVID-19 pand
Aph Gov -
5
Australian Government response to the Senate Select Committee report: COVID-19 Final Report - Department of Health (April 2022)
Health Gov
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6
C/T Group (Crosby Textor) - Wikipedia
Wikipedia -
7
James Morrow, How the Liberals beat Labor at its own game - Sydney Morning Herald (May 23, 2019)
From policy war rooms to WhatsApp groups and Game of Thrones-themed memes, the Liberals outgunned Labor, especially in the left's native online habitat.
The Sydney Morning Herald -
8
The Guardian - Editorial Standards and Ownership Information
Theguardian
Original link no longer available -
9
About Crikey - Independent Australian news and commentary
We Dig Deeper For just over 20 years, we’ve set out to explain and dissect the news agenda for an intelligent, skeptical, socially and politically aware
Crikey -
10PDF
Treasury FOI Release 2805 - Department of Treasury (2021)
Treasury Gov • PDF Document -
11
Ideology and Effective Government: Lessons from Rudd-Gillard Labor - The Conversation (2014)
Political historians are likely to treat the Rudd and Gillard governments far more kindly than many contemporary commentators have - and certainly more kindly than the Murdoch press has. The passing of…
The Conversation
Rating Scale Methodology
1-3: FALSE
Factually incorrect or malicious fabrication.
4-6: PARTIAL
Some truth but context is missing or skewed.
7-9: MOSTLY TRUE
Minor technicalities or phrasing issues.
10: ACCURATE
Perfectly verified and contextually fair.
Methodology: Ratings are determined through cross-referencing official government records, independent fact-checking organizations, and primary source documents.