The price of our Premier’s Facebook friends

The Andrews Government is defending spending more than $280,000 of taxpayer dollars on the Premier’s Facebook page.

It has helped make Daniel Andrews is the most ‘Liked’ political leader in Australia, with even more followers than Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

The $280,000 does not include the staff employed to produce the page, nor the slick video packages that appear on it.

The Opposition claims such funds can only be used to promote policies, not politicians.

But the government says it’s value for money, and claims it saved more than $20 million in TV advertising since 2014.

Strict guidelines for Government advertising don’t cover Facebook.

It’s not the first time the Premier’s Facebook use has raised eyebrows.

Last year, 3AW reporter Lauren Hilbert caught out the Premier not knowing anything about popular musician Drake, despite posting about his lyrics earlier that day.

Liberal MP Tim Smith has guaranteed to 3AW that a Coalition government wouldn’t use the same practice.

“At the moment, for example, the Liberal party pays to boost Matthew Guy’s Facebook page, and that is the standard that we expect going forward at the election next year.”