Poll: Most Aussies Say Yes To Outlawing Inaccurate & Misleading Political Ads

Poll: Most Aussies Say Yes To Outlawing Inaccurate & Misleading Political Ads

According to a new poll for the Australia Institue, 84 per cent of Australians support the new laws to ban political ads and candidates from making “inaccurate and misleading” claims.

Australia Institue released a discussion paper on Sunday, proposing outlawing misleading ads following report of widespread misinformation and inaccuracy in the 2019 election campaign.

The paper commented that such truth in advertising laws are currently in place in South Australia where the electoral commission can ask for misleading political ads to be withdrawn and retracted, with financial penalties applying.

It also noted that the media industry is self-regulated by an advertising standards body in new Zealand.

The paper argued industry bodies such as Free TV Australia and the Advertising Standards Burea could regulate truth in advertising,

It said: “Several models for increasing the truthfulness of election campaigns are available to policymakers,” it said.

“They are popular and proven to work in other jurisdictions.”

Results from the survey found 84 per cent of Australians supported a truth in advertising law, while 90 per cent also supported the proposition newspapers, TV networks and social media channels should correct any inaccurate or misleading ads they publish.

There were a number of false or inaccurate political ads published throughout the 2019 election, including that Labor planned to tax non-electric vehicles and an ad that ran on social media claiming Labor planned to introduce a death tax.




Please login with linkedin to comment

australia institute political advertising

Latest News

Scroll Media Recruits Costa Panagos From Twitch
  • Advertising

Scroll Media Recruits Costa Panagos From Twitch

Digital publisher network Scroll Media has employed ex-Amazon Twitch gaming executive Costa Panagos (lead image) to strengthen its Scroll Gaming capability. Panagos is highly experienced in game advertising and media sales professional with two years in account management at Twitch and three years in media sales at News Corp, so will bring his extensive media agency […]

Year13, Microsoft & KPMG Australia Launch AI Course For Gen Zs
  • Technology

Year13, Microsoft & KPMG Australia Launch AI Course For Gen Zs

School-leaver service Year13 has launched a new Artificial Intelligence course to upskill young people in AI, made in collaboration with Microsoft and KPMG, at an event to rally industry support behind youth AI fluency. The free online course AI Amplified which is part of Year13’s Academy aims to provide all young people with the opportunity […]

General Motors Snares Heath Walker From Scania
  • Advertising

General Motors Snares Heath Walker From Scania

General Motors has announced the appointment of Heath Walker (lead image) as the new marketing director for GM Australia and New Zealand, effective April 23, 2024. Walker brings a wealth of marketing and communications experience gained from working across various industries, including IT, sporting, and auto – notably Tesla, Nissan and most recently, Scania in […]