PR backlash: Budget poster family has more than eight jobs, most on the public payroll

A high-profile public relations campaign by the Labour government, promoting the 2026 budget as “the best in history” and “a family affair,” has drawn criticism after it emerged that the family featured in the adverts is far from representative of those set to benefit most from the measures.

The campaign, financed by several hundred thousand euro of public funds, has flooded local media, from billboards and newspapers to social media feeds. Yet its choice of poster family, headed by Jean Paul Attard, has sparked backlash for what critics describe as tone-deaf messaging in a small country where “everyone knows everyone.”

Attard is head of operations at the National Development and Social Fund (NDSF), the government agency responsible for managing revenues from the now-defunct cash-for-passports scheme. Despite the budget’s focus on helping middle- and lower-income families, Attard’s household reportedly exceeds the €30,000 income threshold for the new tax incentives.

Government marketing consultants involved in the campaign privately described it as “a serious misstep” and “unprofessional,” claiming that warnings to the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) about the optics of using the Attard family were ignored.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Attard holds as many as eight paid positions, most of them publicly funded. In addition to his full-time post at the NDSF, he sits on the Cultural National Heritage Advisory Committee, the Scholarships Appeals Board and the Malta Qualifications Framework Appeals Board.

He also lectures at the government-run Institute for the Public Service, provides paid football commentary for state broadcaster TVM, writes freelance articles, and serves as a board member of the Institute for Financial Services.

His profile further lists occasional work in the film and television industry, including as “a cast stand-in for the principal actor on a Ridley Scott Film (filmed in 2023/24) and Jurassic World Rebirth (filmed in 2024).”

Attard’s wife, Claudia, also has a paid job.

It remains unclear whether Attard or his family received compensation for their participation in the government’s advertising campaign.