Home » “Lies & Misinformation”: 90% Of Aussies Support Truth In Political Ads Following Referendum

19 October, 2023

“Lies & Misinformation”: 90% Of Aussies Support Truth In Political Ads Following Referendum

Almost nine out of ten Australians support truth in political advertising laws, with the majority of voters from both sides worried about “lies and misinformation” in the voice referendum.

The results come from a survey of 1,547 conducted by the Australian Institute from the close of polls on Saturday evening through to Tuesday. Around 87 per cent of those surveyed called for truth in political advertising laws in time for the next election.

Survey respondents were asked if they agreed with the statement: “I am concerned about lies and misinformation that circulated on social media during the referendum campaign”.

About 72 per cent said they were concerned, compared with 15 per cent who said they were not. Of those who voted yes, 89 per cent were concerned; of those who voted no, 62 per cent were worried.

“While I have no doubt that all the votes cast in the referendum were valid, I also have no doubt that many of the arguments and claims that influenced those votes were not,” said Richard Denniss, director at The Australia Institute. “In Australia, it is perfectly legal to lie in a political ad – and it shouldn’t be”.

With the Labor Party planning to introduce stricter political advertising laws ahead of the next federal election, the survey results are further proof that Australians want action to combat misinformation. In Question Time on Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was urged to protect voters against “misleading and deceptive” political advertising.

The prime minister said legislating in this area was “complex” but confirmed the special minister of state was working on a bill. “You don’t want to interfere with any freedom of expression, but you also want to make sure that elections and democratic process can be held in an appropriate way”, Albanese said.

Greens Senator Larissa Waters acknowledged the requirement for tighter laws surrounding political misinformation but advised using caution when doing so. “Elected members have a clear responsibility to strengthen public trust in democracy, but we also don’t want to see laws that impact freedom of speech. We strongly support exploring legislative responses to address this issue and want to work with the government to ensure we get the balance right”.

Anti-misinformation laws already exist in South Australia, where the electoral commission can request that inaccurate or misleading political advertising be withdrawn with penalties exceeding $25,000.

Both Labor and the Greens previously supported truth in political advertising and electoral spending caps in the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (JSCEM) inquiry that examined the 2019 election. In July 2022, it was revealed that the federal government planned to legislate political advertising laws and caps on political spending and donations.

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