Premier Jennifer Smith, in written answers to Legislative Affairs Minister John Barritt, has said that Government has no intention of trying to recover the costs of her broadcast to the Country in February, in spite of the fact that the Broadcasting Commission ruled that it was not a Government broadcast.

Ms Smith has said the reason that there will be no attempt to recover the $6,500 from the Progressive Labour Party - which would be financially responsible for a political broadcast - is that the Commission did not find that she had not acted in good faith.

The point here is not that the Premier did not intend to give a political broadcast. She did and the taxpayer should not have to foot the bill for it.

It is a bad precedent when the head of a Government, who is also the leader of the political party that apparently owes the money, simply chooses to ignore a ruling of a Government board.

But since the Government has chosen to ignore the Broadcasting Commission, the least the Commissioners can do is resign in protest.