Your tax dollars at work

I spotted another tranche of illegal posters today - this time under the motorway in Concord West.  The wall in question is owned by the RTA - a state government department.  The posters in question were commissioned by the Department of Health and Aging - a federal government department.

Once again, we have a case of where our taxes are being used to produce something that results in illegal bill posting and littering.  Posters like this have appeared at other locations in Sydney, so this is not a one-off occurrence.

If a poster is not removed by Council or the property owner, the glue eventually loses its traction and the poster falls down.  It then becomes street litter, perhaps blowing away to end up in a park, or washing into a storm water drain (which it could clog), or washing down that drain to end up in a stream, creek, river, harbour or the ocean.  In other words, posters are litter waiting to happen.  A poster that size could choke a dolphin.  They are not a good thing environmentally.  

If that's the case, why is a federal government department using our money to do this to us? We get stung twice - once to produce and erect the poster, and once to clean it off.  

Given that I got an absurdly week brush-off from the state Department of the Environment and Climate Change, I have taken this issue up with the Shadow Minister for Health and Aging.  Has a federal Minister really approved a program that involves illegality (bill posting) and environmental damage (littering)?  How could a government that is supposedly so concerned with the environment (climate change) do such a thing?  If Canada Bay Council decides it wants to fine the person responsible, will the Minister pay the fine (and not charge it to expenses - I mean pay it out of their own pocket)?