FEDERAL Government advertising fell marginally last financial year but still saw almost $200 million spent on information campaigns.

The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet annual report said campaign advertising reached $196.4 million in 2006/7.

The figure was lower than the $208.5 million spent during the 2005/6, an amount which takes in the first raft of information campaigns on WorkChoices, and the record set before the introduction of the GST in 1999/2000 of $211 million.

But Labor has jumped on the figure, saying the total spending - $281 million if job ads are included in the figure- would pay for close to a million dental consultations, 280,000 hospital stays, or 20,000 hip replacements.

While the result is just below the record levels it remains high compared with the $137.7 million spent in 2004/5.

The figures would only include some of the Government’s advertising of it Fairness test after its backdown on WorkChoices rules in May, a large proportion but not all of its spruiking of superannuation changes made in the May budget and not much of it concerted push to boost awareness of climate change polices.

Labor has slammed the size of government advertising, particularly over WorkChoices and its use of the boss of the Workplace Authority, public servant Barbara Bennett, claiming it had overstepped the line between information to propaganda.

The Coalition has defended the spending saying it needed to dispel what it calls misinformation from the ACTU and the Your Rights at Work campaign.

Opposition leader Kevin Rudd said today that the auditor-general should be charged with determining what was an appropriate public information campaign.

He said he did not oppose taxpayer funded campaigns but there was no independent way of testing that and holding government to account.

Mr Rudd said the total spending - $281 million if job ads are included in the figure- would pay for close to a million dental consultations, 280,000 hospital stays or 20,000 hip replacements.

Labor public administration spokeswoman Penny Wong said that latest budget figures for 2007/8 showed $66 million had been spent on the Fairness Test.

She noted that while the headline amount of spending was down the number of campaigns was up markedly, from 39 in 2005/6 to 47 in 2006/7 and nearly double the 24 in 2004/5.

"Australian voters last week saw the Government’s form in the Auditor-Generals’ pointed criticisms of the Regional Partnerships program. Now Mr Howard’s own Department has revealed more public spending waste,’’ she said.