Zali Steggall
Member of parliament Zali Steggall is launching her own voluntary Ethical Political Advertising Code (EPAC) today.
To combat misinformation in election campaigns, Steggall is calling on parliamentarians, candidates and political campaigners to voluntarily commit to factual and accurate political advertising.
“Unlike with consumer laws, which prohibit businesses from making false or misleading representations, political advertisers are not held to the same account - which means in the upcoming election it will be legal to lie in a political advertisement," Steggall said.
“Australians overwhelmingly support truth in political advertising laws – so it’s time for politicians, candidates and political campaigners to commit to truth in political advertising.”
EPAC addresses gaps in current legislation, including the absence of requirements for factual accuracy and safeguards against AI-generated content that can mislead voters.
"The Code ensures political ads are accurate, substantiated, and credible—giving voters confidence in the information they see, helping them to make informed decisions ahead of the next election,” Steggall said.
The Code outlines that information in political advertising must be:
- Accurate, not misleading or deceptive
- Precise and substantiated
- Credible endorsements (including clearly labelling any AI generated or manipulated content)
Those who have pledged with the Code can include the following statement on their advertisements: I have voluntarily agreed to the Ethical Political Advertising Code. Claims are truthful, factual, substantiated, and authentic. If any content has been generated or altered by artificial intelligence, it has been clearly labelled.
Zali Steggall is calling for the government to urgently bring on the Electoral Communications Bill for debate and vote, but as political advertising will remain unregulated at the next election (even with the Bill passed) the EPAC will tackle misinformation upfront.
The Australia Institute’s director, democracy and accountability program Bill Browne said it is possible to outlaw misleading political advertising because South Australia has done it for forty years - and they enjoy a better quality debate because of it.
"If the Government had prioritised truth in political advertising reform, we wouldn't need voluntary codes and individual action," Steggall.
"However, in the absence of law reform, I welcome MPs and candidates committing to a voluntary honesty code."
Transparency International CEO Clancy Moore said recent elections around the world have shown how misinformation and disinformation spreads like bushfires, corrupting public debate and misleading voters.
"In the absence of legislation to enforce truth in political advertising ahead of the next federal election, this Code is a step in the right direction," Moore said.
"Voters should be able to make informed decisions at the ballot box that are based on accurate, precise and credible information.”
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