In one of the stranger ironies of the federal election thus far, the Greens have had an OOH advertising supporting public transport pulled off the side of public transport!
Sydney Trains pulled the outdoor campaign – estimated to be valued at $20,000 – because the tag had a dig at the NSW state government’s other cash cow – toll roads.
According to a report in Fairfax Media, the campaign ran the the tag “vote for public transport” and “no toll roads”.
Sydney Trains allegedly took umbrage at the “no toll roads” and pulled the signage from as many as five of its carriages.
According to a Sydney Trains spokesperson the wording was “contentious” and breached its advertising code.
“Sydney Trains has advertising services contracts in place with advertising sales specialists. There are contractual requirements for content that include complying with laws and relevant codes and not depicting contentious political matter. This applies equally to all political parties,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying in Fairfax Media.
The Greens were obviously furious at the decision, accusing Sydney Trains of censorship.
Inner-Sydney Greens candidate Jim Casey (who will go up against Labor’s Anthony Albanese in the coming election for the seat of Grayndler) called the decision “bureaucratic madness”.
“What’s really going on here is quite extraordinary,” Casey said. “The public transport operator is saying that it is politically sensitive to talk about public transport,” he said.
“This is at best bureaucratic madness, and at worst a sign of how closed down NSW is becoming.”
