Sarah Whyte Immigration correspondent November 27, 2014

Media monitor: Immigration Minister Scott Morrison. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

The Immigration Minister Scott Morrison and the Assistant Immigration Minister Michaelia Cash have spent nearly $120,000 monitoring the media for mentions of their names and the immigration portfolio, eclipsing cabinet colleagues including Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

According to documents from the House of Representatives, Mr Morrison spent $62,484.30 in media monitoring and print clipping services, while Michaelia Cash, the assistant minister for Immigration spent $54,788.16 from September 7, 2013 and September 3, 2014. This includes monitoring newspaper clippings, television and radio transcripts through the Australian Associated Press and the media company iSentia.

This is in contrast to Ms Bishop whose office spent $6728.69 on media clippings between September 7, 2013 to September 17, 2014. According to separate documents Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews spent $2619.33 between September 1, 2013 to July 31 this year.

Labor MP Pat Conroy, who is chair of Labor's Waste Watch Committee, said it was ironic that the most "secretive minister in the history of the Commonwealth" was spending hundreds of thousands of dollars monitoring what the media was saying about him.

"Media monitoring is necessary, but how can Scott Morrison justify spending 20 times the amount Julie Bishop spends on what is presumably monitoring the same media sources," Mr Conroy said.

But iSentia spokesman Patrick Baume said media tracking was an important part of a democracy, to ensure that there is an open media and public debate is not ignored.

"Whether they do it in house or use a third party supplier, it's part of the job of all government departments to stay informed on issues that are relevant to their portfolio," Mr Baume said.

Labor's immigration spokesman Richard Marles joined the debate saying: "This is an awful lot of tax payer money to spend when you say very little."

A spokesman for Mr Morrison said: "The Coalition Government has spent less on media monitoring for the Minister and Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection than the average Labor Minister and their Parliamentary Secretary spent over their last four full financial years in Government."

It is not the first time Australian governments have been questioned about how much taxpayers' dollars is being spent on media services.

In June this year Senate documents revealed that Mr Morrison's departments hired 95 communications staff and spin doctors, costing taxpayers at least $8 million a year.

Details released showed the departments of Immigration, Border Protection and Australian Customs had 85 permanent and 10 other staff responsible for media monitoring, internal communication and public relations.

In July it was then revealed the Abbott government had created a hub of 37 communication and social media specialists to oversee media within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, including Indigenous Affairs and the Office for Women, costing taxpayers almost $4.3 million a year.

Labor's Rudd government was heavily criticised in 2009 for spending more than $49 million on 418 media advisers, media monitoring and PR spin in his first year as Prime Minister.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison defends media monitoring spend