Victorian Premier John Brumby has dismissed as coincidental a taxpayer-funded advertising feature spruiking Melbourne's west days before a by-election there.
A 24-page advertising lift-out was printed in the Sunday Age at the weekend, six days before Altona voters go to the polls to elect a replacement for former public transport minister Lynne Kosky.
The state opposition has slammed the advertising supplement as blatant political advertising.
But Mr Brumby said it was signed off seven months ago and its publication a week before the by-election was coincidental.
"They (The Age) approached us with that supplement, we agreed on it seven months ago," Mr Brumby told reporters on Monday.
"So this was booked a long, long time ago before obviously anybody had any idea that there would ever be a by-election in Altona."
Mr Brumby said The Age determined the timing of the supplement, which contained no photos of him or Altona candidate Jill Hennessy.
He could not say how much the advertising lift-out cost but said it was a partnership between state, federal and local governments and water authorities.
"So it's straight up and down, it's straight factual, it's straight information, it was an Age initiative and I think it's completely non-political."
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