Zali Steggall MP seeks to force parliamentary vote on Truth in Political Advertising laws
15 September 2026
Today, on the International Day of Democracy, Warringah MP Zali Steggall will move to suspend standing orders and force Parliament to consider her Bill to protect Australians from lies in political advertising.
Australians have consumer protections against false and misleading commercial ads. But with the next federal election potentially just one year away, Australia still has no protections from false statements in a political advertisement.
“This is a failure of government. Democracy depends on informed voters – and in this period of post-truth politics, the urgency for change is only increasing,” Steggall said.
“AI and deepfakes now mean Australians can be exposed to video or audio of a politician or candidate saying something they never said. Our electoral laws must keep pace with technology – not remain stuck in a bygone era.”
The Albanese government knows this. It introduced its own truth in political advertising Bill in 2024 – then let the Bill lapse and has done nothing since.
“I have repeatedly sought to engage Special Minister of State Don Farrell on this issue,” Steggall said. “The government is simply failing to address the problem of lies in political ads, despite 81% of Australians supporting laws to prevent the practice.”
South Australia has had truth in political advertising laws for more than 40 years. University research shows the standard of political debate is higher in South Australia, and the law has operated without preventing robust political contest or legitimate policy disagreement.
So, one year out from a possible federal election, Steggall will ask Parliament to suspend standing orders to debate her Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Voter Protections in Political Advertising) Bill 2026.
The Bill, which Steggall updated this year, proposes four key safeguards:
- Mandatory AI content watermarking, so voters know when they are viewing AI-generated content
- Compliance with an ethical advertising code which requires advertising to be truthful
- An independent Political Advertising Standards Board to oversee compliance
- Meaningful penalties of up to $330,000 for serious breaches.
“Australians have lost faith in politics. Truth in political advertising laws are a way to rebuild trust,” Steggall said.
Additional information: examples in recent years of false and misleading political advertising -
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The Voice referendum: Social media posts wrongly claimed the Voice would have power over Parliament and government decisions
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Peter Dutton: AI-generated videos depicting Peter Dutton speaking Mandarin and suggesting he intended to deport Chinese-Australians, and an AI-generated video of Dutton dancing in celebration of nuclear energy
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Zoe Daniel: In Goldstein in 2025, a mobile billboard claimed then Independent member Zoe Daniel had been questioned by the National Anti-Corruption Commission even though the NACC had already found no corruption issue
- False depictions of independents as Greens: In 2022 and 2025, fake signage falsely depicted Independents as Greens candidates.
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