The ACT government's Waste Watch telephone hotline had been set up by the Labor government after it won power in 1992, and had attracted about one phone call per day. Throughout its time, it had cost taxpayers $83,000 to run. According to a spokesman, despite the high price of the hotline, it had not actually achieved any demonstrable savings.

The service was initially set up to encourage Canberrans to blow the whistle on organisations or individuals wasting public resources, after many people complained of public service waste, having seen government cars at shopping centres and sprinklers left on when it was raining.

But it turned out the hotline itself was a waste of public money, and the chief minister, Kate Carnell, said the hotline had been a "foolish election promise".

It had cost the ACT $39,411 in staffing costs and $43,304 in telephone and advertising costs.

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