Federal election 2025: Labor outspends rivals in social media ad blitz, Chaney biggest spending politician

West Australian

21-04-2025

The Labor Party poured more than half a million dollars into advertising on Meta in 30 days, almost $349,000 of which was spent in a single week of the election campaign.
The Liberal Party in the same period spent $383,300 between March 18 to April 16 on Facebook and Instagram, while their spend between April 10-16 was $72,762.
The Nightly's fresh analysis of the Meta ad library also found Curtin independent MP Kate Chaney was the highest spending parliamentarian, shelling out almost $105,000 in the 30-day period — about a third of which was spent in the past week.
Climate 200 spent almost $362,000 in the 30-day period, $133,000 of which was in the last seven days. Independent incumbent MPs and candidates in Kooyong, Bradfield, Wentworth and Flinders all spent above $50,000 in the 30-day period, while Ellie Smith – taking on Peter Dutton in Dickson – spent $46,000.
Clive Palmer's Trumpet of Patriots has also ramped up its social media spending as the May 3 election nears. The newly formed party spent just over $324,000 in the last 30 days of which $170,000 was in seven days.
Political marketing expert Andrew Hughes said he would expect ad spending to increase across the board from Tuesday, when pre-poll opens.
He said the content itself hadn't been as creative this time around, and that negative ads were not an effective use of money.
'Once we realise it's a negative ad, people switch off… It's rare to see that cut through,' he said.
An analysis of the Labor Party's ad library found they had started running four videos in the last 30 days that had pulled in between 600,000-700,000 impressions.
Two of those were labelled 'Labor for Griffith' and featured candidate Renee Coffey, who is taking on the Greens' Max Chandler-Mather.
A candidate-specific ad for Andrew Charlton in Paramatta had between 400,000-450,000 impressions since it went live on April 5. Other ads for in-strife MPs in Richmond, Paterson and Reid were also launched on April 17.
Jerome Laxale, whose marginal electorate of Bennelong is now notionally Liberal, spent just over $29,000 in the 30 day period. Analysis of Labor's total ad spend found they had directed at least 15 per cent of their expenditure between April 10-16 targeting Bennelong.
WA Labor spent $24,000 in the same period.
Dr Hughes said Labor's spend so far wasn't as high as he would have expected, but the types of ads the party was pushing were telling.
'They've switched to boring mode. It's consistent with what we're seeing on the campaign trail with Anthony Albanese, they're not taking any risk,' he said.
'The party with the lead will need to campaign flat, so there's nothing for the Opposition to work with on you. You do the same thing with your ad strategy – a bit boring, a bit plain, and lots of reinforcement on existing messages.'
In the Liberal camp, meanwhile, at least 20 per cent of ad spend was in Bennelong postcodes. About 30 per cent was spent in Werriwa.
In the same 30-day period, the Victorian branch spent $63,000, the NSW division $26,000, and the WA arm $45,000. The Queensland LNP spent $124,000, of which just over $53,000 was in the last seven days.
The Liberals also put money behind a campaign called 'Teals Revealed' backed by the federal, NSW and Victorian divisions, which spent about $200,000 in 30 days combined.
The Coalition also put hundreds of thousands of dollars for candidate-specific ad spends. The highest was in Liberal held Bradfield – under serious threat from teal candidate Nicolette Boele – where the party spent $45,000 on their candidate. Significant money was spent on candidates in Bennelong, Curtin, Pearce, Wentworth and Parramatta as well.
Advance Australia spent $186,000 in the same 30 day period, plus $110,000 as part of 'Election News', another $100,000 for 'Albanese is weak, woke and sending us broke', and $31,000 for 'Greens Truth' related ads.