$74m put aside to pay for 'blatant' campaigns "Blatant political campaigns": Prime Minister Julia Gillard with campaigners from 'I Give a Gonski'. An extra $74 million will be channelled into federal government advertising campaigns despite the budget's bleak finances. The budget papers confirm the new spending includes $21 million to promote the Gonski school reforms, $10 million to spruik the government's jobs plan and $10 million to advertise health services such as Medicare. Another $8 million will be spent promoting childcare assistance and the government has earmarked an extra $5 million for the existing national broadband network campaign. The new "information campaign" on the school funding reforms - a centrepiece of Prime Minister Julia Gillard's election-year agenda - will require $21 million over two financial years. The ads are expected to begin soon and come as Ms Gillard seeks to strike a deal with states and territories by the June 30 deadline. The Coalition's spokesman on scrutiny of government waste, Jamie Briggs, said the pre-election ads spruiking Labor's education policies and the NBN were "blatant political campaigns" that should not be taxpayer funded. "If Labor were serious about reducing debt and delivering a surplus, they wouldn't engage in such wasteful spending," he said. But a spokesman for Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan accused the Coalition of hypocrisy in attacking government advertising, saying that the Howard government spent $152 million in the lead-up to the 2007 election. School Education Minister Peter Garrett said the Gonski reforms were the biggest transformation of school funding in decades and the campaign would inform the public of looming changes. About $6.5 million of the $10 million set aside for the health campaign will be spent in the current 2012-13 financial year to "inform Australians about the benefits of Medicare and health-related services." The Australian Electoral Commission will gain $7.3 million to encourage people to enrol to vote and provide information about the election on September 14. Another $11.6 million has been earmarked for a "national civics education campaign" to tell the public about the referendum on local government recognition, which will coincide with the federal election.