Anger at State Government spending on ads calling for paramedics to accept pay deal THE State Government spent more than $430,000 on an advertising campaign calling for paramedics to sign up to the government pay deal. Late last year Health Minister David Davis offered paramedics a 12 per cent pay increase over three years, plus a sign-on payment of $1500, as part of the ongoing pay dispute. The government ran full-page ads in metropolitan and regional newspapers with an open letter from Dr Davis calling for an agreed outcome. Figures for the first phase of the campaign were released on the government contracts website and show the letter of offer advertising cost taxpayers $236,404.02. Phase two cost $199,417.75, bringing the total cost of the campaign to more than $430,000. Ambulance Employees Australia state secretary Steve McGee said it was a "complete waste of taxpayer money." "I don't even get what the purpose was other than to swing public opinion against paramedics," Mr McGee said. I just think it's a sign of a very desperate minister. If he wanted to plead to paramedics he should have personalised it and sent all the paramedics a letter. Opposition ambulance services spokesman Gavin Jennings said the community would think it was "outrageous that the government spent money on propaganda." Dr Davis's spokesman Ashley Gardiner said the Government has put the facts on the table for paramedics and the wider community. "It is important to present the facts to counter the campaign of misinformation by the ambulance union and Labor," he said. Ambulance Victoria has a generous offer on the table, and it's important that each and every paramedic carefully consider this offer. The Government wants to give paramedics a pay rise, and makes no apologies for using cool, calm and rational language to invite paramedics to think about the offer in a careful, considered and rational way.