As Australians head to early voting booths, a new poll by The Australia Institute has revealed a striking contradiction: while nearly nine in ten Australians (89 per cent) support Truth in Political Advertising laws, a stubborn 5 per cent still oppose them — raising serious questions about why a basic expectation of honesty remains controversial at all.
Despite the obvious benefits of outlawing lies in political ads, this small but significant minority could be contributing to a federal landscape where — even now — it remains perfectly legal to lie in a political ad.
“At a federal level, it is perfectly legal to lie in a political ad, and it shouldn’t be,” said Bill Browne, director of The Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program.
“Political advertisements that are deceptive and misleading interfere with the public’s ability to make informed decisions. Without action, we risk election campaigns sliding into a free-fall of fake news.”
The new research, based on a nationally representative sample of 1,089 Australians conducted by YouGov between April 8–10, found overwhelming support for reform, with two-thirds (64 per cent) saying they “strongly support” new laws. Yet the 5 per cent opposing truth in political advertising are not confined to one political party or demographic.
Among “Other” minor party voters, opposition climbed even higher, to 6 per cent.
It is also worth noting that 7 per cent said they don’t know or are unsure if they support or oppose the introduction of ‘truth in political advertising’ laws.
The continued absence of federal truth-in-advertising laws has real consequences. As Bill Browne warned, “Earlier this year, Labor and Liberal politicians voted to give political parties tens of millions of dollars more in public funding. Without Truth in Political Advertising laws, there is every danger that taxpayer money will be spent lying to the public.”
Truth in political advertising isn’t a theoretical idea — it already works. South Australia has had laws banning misleading political ads for over 40 years. The ACT Legislative Assembly passed similar laws prior to the 2020 election with tri-partisan support.
“Corporations are already prohibited from making misleading or deceptive claims — Australians should be able to expect the same or higher standard of honesty in politics as in trade and commerce,” Browne said.
The research revealed that support for Truth in Political Advertising laws cuts across all major political parties, although with some interesting variations. Among Labor voters, support is near-unanimous at 93 per cent, the highest of any group surveyed. This overwhelming endorsement reflects Labor’s stated commitment to improving transparency, including its attempt to introduce truth laws through federal legislation at the end of 2024.
Coalition voters also showed strong support, with 88 per cent backing truth in political advertising. While slightly lower than Labor voters, this figure demonstrates that demands for honesty are not confined to progressive voters; even among traditional conservatives, there is clear appetite for greater accountability in political messaging.
Support among Greens voters stood at 87 per cent, slightly lower than Labor and Coalition voters, but still overwhelmingly positive. This small difference may suggest that while Greens voters are highly supportive of measures to strengthen democracy, a slightly larger portion compared to other parties are either cautious about how “truth” might be defined or are unsure about enforcement mechanisms.
Meanwhile, support among One Nation voters reached an impressive 92 per cent, a result that highlights how the desire for honesty in politics transcends ideological divides. Despite One Nation’s frequent anti-establishment rhetoric, its supporters appear just as eager to see political campaigns held to a higher standard.
The lowest level of support came from Independent and Other party voters, where 79 per cent expressed support. Although still a strong majority, this group also had the highest percentage of uncertainty or opposition. This could reflect a broader scepticism among independent voters toward government-imposed standards, even when it comes to regulating political truthfulness.
Despite overwhelming public support, a federal truth-in-advertising law failed to pass in Parliament last year. The Albanese Government introduced legislation at the end of 2024, and Independent MP Zali Steggall also tabled a private member’s bill, but neither secured enough momentum.
“Truth in Political Advertising laws have transformed campaigning in South Australia, leading political party directors to scrutinise all political ads for accuracy,” said Browne. “Australians are entitled to the same rigour and honesty in national political advertising, but currently there is no guarantee they will get it.”
The Australia Institute argues that, with trust in government at historically low levels, reform should be urgent and non-negotiable.
“With trust in government distressingly low across Australia, all sides of politics should take the opportunity to restore some public faith in politics and the representatives they elect to Parliament,” Browne said.
For now, with 5 per cent of Australians still opposing a basic standard of truth — and federal politicians failing to act — election campaigns remain fertile ground for misinformation.
