In the final weeks before polling day, Australian voters are being bombarded with political messaging like never before — not just on their televisions, but in the palms of their hands, embedded in YouTube pre-rolls, Facebook carousels, Instagram stories and Google search results. The 2025 federal election is shaping up to be the most digitally saturated campaign in Australian history, with parties pouring unprecedented sums into both traditional media and targeted online advertising.
While television still plays a central role in commanding attention, digital platforms have become the real battleground — and the spending reflects that shift.
Labor Leads on Traditional TV, But Palmer Isn’t Far Behind
Despite the digital surge, traditional television remains a powerful — and expensive — weapon in the political advertising arsenal, particularly for reaching older voters and regional Australians. So far, the Australian Labor Party reportedly leads the pack in TV, spending $5.8 million on free-to-air and subscription TV spots. These ads have aired across prime-time news broadcasts, footy matches, and current affairs programs, targeting mainstream audiences with messages focused on cost of living, medicare, climate action, and housing.
The Coalition trails Labor, but has still invested heavily, with a $4.2 million TV spend aimed at reinforcing themes of economic management, leadership stability, and border protection.
Not to be outdone, Clive Palmer’s Trumpet of Patriots has spent $5.6 million on television ads, making his party the third-highest spender on traditional media. The ads have featured frequent attacks on both major parties and promote his party’s nationalist messaging. Known for blanketing networks with high-frequency placement, Palmer is again favouring saturation over nuance.
Combined, the three groups have already spent over $15 million on TV advertising alone — and that figure is likely to rise before the mandatory blackout period kicks in at midnight on Thursday, May 1, restricting political ads on TV and radio until the polls close at 6pm on election day, May 3.
YouTube: Where the Digital War Is Truly Raging
It is on YouTube where Palmer is going all in. He has already spent more than $4 million on the platform — more than any other party — with a campaign designed to reach broad audiences, not just specific voter segments. According to video ad measurement firm Adgile, YouTube is hosting 40% more political advertising than during the last federal election, and Palmer is leading the charge.
“This time round we are seeing a four-way battle between Labor, Liberals, Greens and Trumpet of Patriots for dominance on the platform,” said Adgile’s managing director, Shaun Lohman.
While Palmer takes a blunt-force approach, other parties are embracing YouTube’s ability to micro-target based on age, location, and interests. Labor has released 266 different YouTube ads, while the Liberals are close behind with 251.
As Lohman notes: “The parties are really homing in on digital video’s ability to geo-target and send different messages to voters in different electorates, with digital video currently enjoying around 40% of the TV budget.”
At the start of this week, Palmer’s $4.2 million YouTube spend dwarfed the Coalition’s $2.3 million and Labor’s $2 million, though Lohman warned the Coalition might be holding back for a final-week push, when the TV blackout comes into force.
“This election has seen a twenty-fold increase in political advertising spend on YouTube compared with the last federal election,” he said.
Meta Matters: Labor Still Ahead, Teals Gaining Ground
On Facebook and Instagram, Labor is again in front, having spent nearly $700,000 since the election was called — almost double the Liberal Party’s $385,266. The Liberals also dedicated $127,085 to a “Teals Revealed” campaign aimed at undermining independent challengers in key electorates.
Across Meta platforms, Climate 200 — which backs high-profile teal independents — has invested $430,869, while the Jacqui Lambie Network has spent $94,426. Independents like Kate Chaney (Curtin) and Monique Ryan (Kooyong) are also pumping money into hyper-localised social media campaigns.
It’s still a fragmented field, but one where micro-targeting could have a macro impact.
TikTok: Albanese Outpaces Rivals
While the older generation of politicians have struggled to connect with young voters, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has found his rhythm on TikTok. According to influencer platform Fabulate, Albanese’s @albomp account is attracting six times the likes and comments of Peter Dutton and nine times more than Greens leader Adam Bandt.
@albomp Confirmed: the Liberals will cut free TAFE. Labor will make free TAFE permanent. #auspol #freeTAFE #tafe #australia🇦🇺 ♬ original sound – AlboMP
“Clearly, the Albanese team have learned a lesson or two about TikTok,” said Fabulate strategy officer Nathan Powell. “[They] are following best practice on the platform, which is posting consistency and having clear content pillars to message to your audience.”
Nationals leader David Littleproud doesn’t have a TikTok account at all — a striking omission in a campaign defined by digital reach.
With a little over a week to go, more will be spent — but voters are no longer just being courted with corflutes and campaign stops. Now, every scroll, swipe, and search could shape the outcome of the critical election.
