Sponsor speech Supports
Zali Steggall
Zali Steggall supported the bill as its sponsor, saying it revived the government's lapsed reform so truth-in-political-advertising rules could be in place before the next election.
Read in Hansard ↗Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Communications)
Current status
This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.
Policy area
Transport & communications
What does this bill do?
The bill would create civil penalties for the person or entity that authorises federal election material containing a purported factual written statement, candidate image or candidate audio that is materially inaccurate and misleadingThe bill's threshold for prohibited material: the statement or depiction must be inaccurate and misleading to a significant extent, not merely arguable or opinion-based..
Why was it introduced?
Zali Steggall introduced the bill as a private member because the previous government bill on electoral communications had lapsed and she argued the 48th Parliament should act early enough for truth-in-political-advertising safeguards to be ready before the next federal election. The official materials frame the problem as materially misleading electoral communications, AI-generated or altered campaign content, and public confidence in elections and referendums.
Broader context
The bill sits in a longer debate about whether federal political advertising should be subject to truth-in-advertising rules. Parliamentary and media sources point to concern about false campaign material, the rise of AI and deepfakes, and earlier Joint Standing Committee on Electoral MattersA parliamentary committee that reviews elections and electoral laws. Speeches for this bill say its work supported truth-in-political-advertising reform. support for a South Australian-style model. Steggall and other crossbench MPs then reintroduced the substance of the lapsed government bill at the start of the 48th Parliament, but the House record shows this private member bill was later removed from the Notice PaperParliament's official list of business before a chamber. Removal from the Notice Paper means the bill was no longer waiting for debate in that form..
Key criticism
The scoped debate material records support for the bill from the sponsor, seconder and David Pocock. The main criticism in the collected speeches is not that the bill goes too far, but that the government had not already progressed similar electoral-communications reform after introducing an earlier bill in the 47th Parliament.
Who supported it?
Zali Steggall MP introduced this bill. Speeches supporting it came from Labor, some crossbench members.
Introduced in House 28 July 2025
Failed in House 03 Mar 2026
Did not reach Senate —
Did not become law —
Did it become law?
No
The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.
Final passage
No final passage
The bill has not completed passage and is no longer proceeding.
Time before failure
218 days
From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding
Meaning
What does this bill do?
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The bill would create civil penalties for the person or entity that authorises federal election material containing a purported factual written statement, candidate image or candidate audio that is materially inaccurate and misleadingThe bill's threshold for prohibited material: the statement or depiction must be inaccurate and misleading to a significant extent, not merely arguable or opinion-based..
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The new prohibitions would be limited to electoral advertisements and certain promotional material, not opinions, private communications, satire, art, educational or academic content, professional news media, or material outside a federal election or referendum period.
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A new Electoral Communications PanelThe new panel the bill would create inside the Australian Electoral Commission to investigate and decide complaints about materially misleading electoral communications. would operate within the Australian Electoral CommissionThe federal agency that runs national elections and referendums. The proposed panel would sit within it for support but make its own decisions.'s existing structure, but its decision-making and investigation powers would be independent of the Electoral Commission.
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When a Decision PanelA smaller group of at least three Electoral Communications Panel members chosen to investigate a particular report and publish a decision. found a breach, it could ask the authoriser to publish a retraction, correct the material, or remove it. If the authoriser did not comply, the Decision PanelA smaller group of at least three Electoral Communications Panel members chosen to investigate a particular report and publish a decision. could ask the Federal Court to enforce that response.
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Federal election and referendum material substantially or entirely created or modified using digital technology, including AI, would need to disclose that in its authorisation detailsThe identifying details that campaign material must carry so voters can see who authorised the communication..
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The bill would also apply a written-statement version of the misleading-material rules to referendums, but not the candidate image or audio rules because referendums do not have candidates.
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The bill would remove the three-day radio, television and SBS election-advertising blackout, putting those broadcasters closer to the rules for other media services.
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The operative schedules would not start immediately on assent. They would begin the day after Parliament appropriated money for the Electoral Communications PanelThe new panel the bill would create inside the Australian Electoral Commission to investigate and decide complaints about materially misleading electoral communications..
Show source excerpts
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This Bill amends the Electoral Act and Referendum Act to prohibit the authorisation of certain electoral matter that is inaccurate and misleading to a material extent during electoral and referendum periods if the matter contains: written statements that are inaccurate and misleading to a material extent; or visual or audio depictions of candidates that purport to be factual, including created or modified using digital technology, but are inaccurate and misleading to a material extent.
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Communications) explanatory memorandum -
Election advertisements and certain promotional materials like pamphlets and how-to-vote cards will be subject to the new civil penalty provisions. There are a number of exceptions to the provisions to protect genuine political debate and expression including, statements of opinion; academic, educative, satirical or artistic communications; professional news media and private or parliamentary communications.
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Communications) explanatory memorandum -
The Panel will be an independent secondary statutory structure operating within the existing organisational structure of the AEC. All decision-making and investigative powers held by the Panel will be exercised independently of the powers of the Electoral Commissioner and the three-person Electoral Commission.
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Communications) explanatory memorandum -
The Panel will be able to request that the authoriser of the content either publish a retraction, correct the content of the matter, or take down the content. If the person fails to comply with the request, the Decision Panel may apply to the Federal Court for enforcement.
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Communications) explanatory memorandum -
The Bill will also require electoral matter and referendum matter that has been substantially or entirely created or modified using digital technology (including AI) to carry a statement to that effect.
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Communications) explanatory memorandum -
The civil penalty provisions for authorisable electoral matter that contains a visual or audio depiction of a candidate are not replicated for the Referendum Act, as there are no candidates in a referendum.
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Communications) explanatory memorandum -
Schedule 3 amends the BSA and the SBS Act to repeal the requirements for licensed broadcasters and the SBS to not broadcast election or referendum advertising in the last three days of voting in an election or referendum.
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Communications) explanatory memorandum -
Schedules 1 to 4 The day after the day on which the Consolidated Revenue Fund is appropriated under an Act to the Department in which this Act is administered for payment for the purposes of the Electoral Communications Panel.
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Communications) introduced bill text
Context
Broader context for this bill
The bill sits in a longer debate about whether federal political advertising should be subject to truth-in-advertising rules. Parliamentary and media sources point to concern about false campaign material, the rise of AI and deepfakes, and earlier Joint Standing Committee on Electoral MattersA parliamentary committee that reviews elections and electoral laws. Speeches for this bill say its work supported truth-in-political-advertising reform. support for a South Australian-style model. Steggall and other crossbench MPs then reintroduced the substance of the lapsed government bill at the start of the 48th Parliament, but the House record shows this private member bill was later removed from the Notice PaperParliament's official list of business before a chamber. Removal from the Notice Paper means the bill was no longer waiting for debate in that form..
- 09 Dec 2016
Fake Medicare texts sharpen concern about campaign misinformation
The Australian Financial Review reported that fake Medicare text messages after the 2016 federal election prompted calls for political advertising laws to account for newer technologies such as text messages and Twitter.
Australian Financial Review ↗ - 2023
Electoral committee backs truth-in-advertising reform
Speeches for this bill say the multipartisan Joint Standing Committee on Electoral MattersA parliamentary committee that reviews elections and electoral laws. Speeches for this bill say its work supported truth-in-political-advertising reform. recommended truth-in-advertising legislation modelled on South Australian law after reviewing electoral conduct.
Second reading speeches ↗ - 18 Nov 2024
Government introduces an earlier version
Patrick Gorman introduced the government Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Communications) Bill 2024, describing it as a response to misinformation, disinformation and AI risks in elections.
House Hansard ↗ - 28 July 2025
Crossbench reintroduces the reform
Zali Steggall introduced the 2025 private member bill, saying it reflected the previous government bill and should be passed early enough to operate before the next election.
House Hansard ↗ - 03 Mar 2026
Bill removed from the Notice PaperParliament's official list of business before a chamber. Removal from the Notice Paper means the bill was no longer waiting for debate in that form.
The APH bill history records the bill as removed from the Notice PaperParliament's official list of business before a chamber. Removal from the Notice Paper means the bill was no longer waiting for debate in that form. under Standing Order 42, leaving its status as Not Proceeding.
Parliamentary timeline ↗
Legislative route
How did it move through Parliament?
House Senate
Introduced 28 July 2025
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
Second reading opened 28 July 2025
The sponsor moved the second reading, starting debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
Removed from Notice PaperParliament's official list of business before a chamber. Removal from the Notice Paper means the bill was no longer waiting for debate in that form. 03 Mar 2026
The bill was removed from the House Notice PaperParliament's official list of business before a chamber. Removal from the Notice Paper means the bill was no longer waiting for debate in that form. under Standing Order 42, so it was no longer proceeding in this form.
Removed from the Notice PaperParliament's official list of business before a chamber. Removal from the Notice Paper means the bill was no longer waiting for debate in that form. in accordance with (SO 42)
Key criticism
The main case against this bill
The scoped debate material records support for the bill from the sponsor, seconder and David Pocock. The main criticism in the collected speeches is not that the bill goes too far, but that the government had not already progressed similar electoral-communications reform after introducing an earlier bill in the 47th Parliament.
No substantive criticism of the bill's provisions was found in the collected bill-scoped sources.
Further sources
Votes
Recorded votes
No recorded votes were found before this bill stopped proceeding.
Parliamentary debate
Who spoke, and what they said
Start here — lead voices
Lead supporting voice Supports
Patrick Gorman
Patrick Gorman introduced the government's 2024 version of the electoral communications bill and supported truth-in-advertising laws based on the South Australian model.
Read in Hansard ↗ Lead non-major voice Supports
David Pocock
David Pocock introduced the Senate version and supported the same reform agenda, saying electoral law needed to respond to misinformation, disinformation and malicious AI use.
Read in Hansard ↗ Lead voice Supports
Kate Chaney
Kate Chaney seconded and supported the bill, arguing that unchecked lies in political advertising distort public debate and undermine democracy.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
Labor
1 speaker · 1 support
Labor
1 speaker · 1 support
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Patrick Gorman ★ Patrick Gorman introduced the government's 2024 version of the electoral communications bill and supported truth-in-advertising laws based on the South Australian model.
“This bill implements recommendations of the multipartisan Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (JSCEM) to introduce truth-in-advertising legislation modelled on the existing laws in South Australia. It also delivers on the government's commitment to improving the transparency and accountability of our electoral system.”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Minor parties and independents
3 speakers · 3 support
Minor parties and independents
3 speakers · 3 support
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Zali Steggall ★ Zali Steggall supported the bill as its sponsor, saying it revived the government's lapsed reform so truth-in-political-advertising rules could be in place before the next election.
“I introduce this bill now to ensure that there are no excuses in relation to delay, that the provisions to ensure we have guardrails around truth in political advertising can be in place in time for the next election.”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗ -
David Pocock ★ David Pocock introduced the Senate version and supported the same reform agenda, saying electoral law needed to respond to misinformation, disinformation and malicious AI use.
“The crossbench has led the government on the urgent need for truth in political advertising laws for many years. It is time for the Government to get on with legislating reforms it introduced in the 47th Parliament.”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗ -
Kate Chaney ★ Kate Chaney seconded and supported the bill, arguing that unchecked lies in political advertising distort public debate and undermine democracy.
“This bill would prohibit materially misleading electoral content, including where AI or other digital technologies are used to mislead. It would also establish an electoral communications panel to oversee compliance and provide a fair, independent mechanism for enforcement.”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
Full record
- Status
- Not Proceeding -- Collected from the APH bill page.
- Originating house
- House of Representatives
- Sponsor
- Zali Steggall MP -- Collected from APH bill details and the second reading speech.
- Recorded divisions
- None collected -- No counted votes were collected for this bill.
- Amendments
- None collected -- No proposed amendments or recorded amendment outcomes were collected.
- 28 July 2025
House · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
- 28 July 2025
House · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
The sponsor moved the second reading, starting debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
- 03 Mar 2026
House · Removed from the Notice Paper in accordance with (SO 42)
Removed from Notice PaperParliament's official list of business before a chamber. Removal from the Notice Paper means the bill was no longer waiting for debate in that form.
The bill was removed from the House Notice PaperParliament's official list of business before a chamber. Removal from the Notice Paper means the bill was no longer waiting for debate in that form. under Standing Order 42, so it was no longer proceeding in this form.