On 12 February 1941 the Department of Information (CA 34) forwarded a memorandum to the Department of the Treasury stating that at a meeting of Cabinet held during the previous week, it was decided that the Department should form an Advertising Division to handle all monies spent on national publicity campaigns, other than routine advertising by any Commonwealth Department. [7] The functions of the Department of Information, established in September 1939 directly as a result of the war, were set out in the National Security (Information) Regulations - 3(d) enabling the Department to carry out 'any other matter specified by the Governor-General to be a matter to be dealt with by the Department'. [1]
The Advertising Division was set up with offices in Sydney and Melbourne, the Sydney office dealing with work emanating from Central Offices of Departments in Canberra and Sydney and the Melbourne office with work from Central Offices in Melbourne. Both also catered for agencies in other parts of Australia.
Although both offices carried out similar work, the Sydney office had responsibility for accounting for all client departments and maintained liaison with the War Effort Publicity Board (CA 6843) set up by the professional advertising agencies. A Controller was appointed to Sydney and an Advertising Liaison Officer to Melbourne.
The Auditor General reported in 1941 that by decision of Cabinet the Advertising Division would handle all government advertising 'with the object of co-ordinating such advertising and providing for the requirements of Departments on the best available terms'. [2] Prior to the war the Commonwealth had paid more for advertising space than other advertisers, due, it was said, to the additional bookwork entailed in handling government accounts and to delayed payment of accounts. Efforts by Treasury to obtain more advantageous rates had been unsuccessful. The 1941 Cabinet decision, however, appears not to have taken effect: a Treasury circular of 17 July 1941 advised that the Advertising Division of the Department of Information was not intended to cover routine departmental advertising but only advertising of a special nature connected with the war effort. [3]
The Controller of the Division, J.B. Hutcheson, was also dissatisfied with the lack of authority over planning and placement of advertisements, as Departments had exercised the right of veto over recommended plans through their control of appropriations and provision of funds. Prime Minister John Curtin wrote to the Department of the Treasury on 19 January 1942 in response to a memorandum from Hutcheson and advised that, following a conference in Canberra the previous day between the Attorney-General, the Minister for Supply, and the Minister for Information, it was recommended that the Advertising Division should be taken over by the Treasury. [7]
Formal advice of the assumption of control of the Division by Treasury could not be confirmed, although administrative action was taken in respect of salaries and expenses of the Division being charged to relevant items of the Treasury appropriation. The cost of advertising activities as such, the actual payments to advertising media, were to be charged to the Advance to the Treasurer and recovered from the Departments concerned. [7] Nevertheless the Division office in Melbourne continued to use the offices, telephones, post boxes, stationery, petty cash and stamps of the Department of Information at Capel Court in Collins Street until December 1944 when it moved into the premises of the War Loans Organisation at Manchester Unity Buildings, 105 Swanston Street. It then shared the messenger service and telephones of War Loans Organisation but was enabled to requisition its own stamps and petty cash and have its own stationery printed.
The main work undertaken during war years included advertising for recruiting drives for men's and women's services, munitions work, war loans and national savings campaigns. At the end of the war, through circular 5044/42/935 of 2 November 1945, Treasury drew attention to the setting up of the Division and affirmed that its work would continue. [5] It advised that all government advertising 'including Press, Radio and Miscellaneous' was to be arranged by the Division. This was followed by other circulars outlining procedures and emphasising the requirement upon Departments to place advertisements through the agency. [6] The work of the Division continued to be facilitated by the War Effort Publicity Board which was renamed the Australian Advertising Council in 1945 and then the Commonwealth Advertising Council in 1965.
The Division's function became one of co-ordinating all advertising required by government departments. It did this by accepting requests for advertising, forwarding these to the most appropriate advertising firms (called 'planning/production agencies') for preparation of material if this was necessary, holding consultations if and when necessary both with Departments and Advertising firms during preparation of layouts. For classified advertisements not requiring special treatment, and in the placing of special advertising, the agency would forward material to 'placing/charging agencies' for distribution.
In almost all cases accounts for preparation and placing in all media continued to be accounted for and paid through the Sydney office. In this way the great quantity of advertising by departments was treated as a whole and more favourable terms negotiated. The system worked also to consolidate classified
advertising of employment, tenders and other government notices, by reducing duplication and giving them more prominence through the use of distinctive headings and grouping of such advertisements. Authority for the advertising function was established by Treasury Direction 31/41.
The nature of advertising after the war varied with the varying work of departments but included: explanation of availability of, and eligibility for, pensions and benefits; information for migrants; campaigns for road safety; recruiting and loan drives; community health, postal and telecommunication information; recruitment to the Public Service; calls for tenders and electoral notices.
References:
1. Commonwealth Parliamentary Papers, 1940-1943, Vol. IV, Report of Auditor-General for Year 1939-1940, p. 36
1. Commonwealth Parliamentary Papers, 1940-1943, Vol. IV, Report of Auditor-General for Year 1940-1941, p. 35
2. National Archives: Accession MT 1746, File 62/60, Commonwealth Advertising Policies, 1921-1940, memorandum from Treasury, Canberra to Sub-Treasury, Melbourne of 17 July 1941 concerning Commonwealth Advertising.
3. Commonwealth Parliamentary Papers, 1940-1943, Vol. IV, Report of Auditor-General for 1941-1942, p. 34.
4. National Archives: Accession MP 1567/1, Box 46, Commonwealth Advertising Policy Circular 5044/42/935 of 2 November 1945
5. National Archives: Accession MP 1567/1, Box 46, Commonwealth Advertising Policy Memorandum to all Departments dated 18 January 1946.
6. Joint Committee of Public Accounts, 112th. Report, Commonwealth Advertising, Parliamentary Paper No. 160 of 1969.
Historical agency address
1941-c1950: A.C.A. Building, 66 King Street, Sydney
c1951-c1955: Mercantile Mutual Building, 117 Pitt Street, Sydney
by1955-1957: Dalton House, 115 Pitt Street, Sydney
by1957-1965: Commonwealth Bank Building, 46-48 Market Street, Sydney
by1967-c1968: Bank House, 315 George Street, Sydney
c1968-1970: 132-138 Arthur Street, North Sydney