Pollies told to listen as podcasters muscle mass media
The influence of influencers is being combed over after an election fought as much online as in person, with politicians looking for fresh ways to reach younger voters.
Content creators were able to reach a large audience that wasn't typically engaged with traditional media, Cheek Media CEO and host of the Big Small Talk podcast Hannah Ferguson said.
Labor had utilised podcasters and influencers to reach young people, including women who are the largest growing audience, Ms Ferguson told AAP.
"The Liberal Party's refusal to engage eliminated them, largely, from speaking to women," she said.
Criticisms from Liberals about the campaign included not having a coherent communication strategy and failing to sell their message early enough, with few major policies in the field before the election was called.
Labor spent consistently on advertising throughout the campaign while the coalition saved its large spend for the final weeks, according to video tracking company Adgile.
Labor spent more than $3 million on Facebook election ads while the Liberals spent $1.4 million, according to Meta's ad library.
Clive Palmer's Trumpet of Patriots party, known for its blanket advertising campaigns, spent about $1.5 million in comparison.
TV ads still made up the bulk of the federal election video spend with more than $54 million spent - $24.1 million by Trumpet of Patriots, $24 million by Labor and $21 million for the coalition, according to Adgile.
The scale of Labor's social media spend was surprising, political communication expert Andrew Hughes said.
It enabled them to continue their momentum while also denying the coalition airtime, he said.
Labor was more effective in its digital media strategy while the coalition was severely lacking, Dr Hughes said.
"I was surprised the coalition didn't utilise it more," he said.
There was also a significant surge in spending on YouTube where minor parties focused their ad spend as commercial TV can fail to reach the same volume of viewers or target the right demographics.
The Liberals needed to spread their focus and "engage where voters are", Liberal senator Maria Kovacic said.
"It's unrealistic to expect they'll come to where we are," she told AAP.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has been an early adopter of using podcasters and content creators to sell the government's message, especially in her women's portfolio.
Influencers were invited to the federal budget lockup at Parliament House for the first time in 2025.
This helped the government get its message out to people who otherwise wouldn't have paid attention, Senator Gallagher told AAP.
"I think we'll never go back to the way it was before," she said.
"It's really clear that new media are going to feature in politics ... and they have a legitimate place at the table."
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Perth Now
34 minutes ago
- Perth Now
National Guard arrives in LA after Trump order
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
'Take it up with God': preacher sued for anti-Semitism
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Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim and deputy president Robert Goot are seeking injunctions requiring the removal of the allegedly racist speeches and prohibiting Mr Haddad from making similar comments in future. The pair, who are not seeking compensation or damages, hope the case will serve as "a warning to deter others seeking to mobilise racism in order to promote their political views". Among the speeches detailed in their statement of claim, Mr Haddad blames the roots of "the enmity that we see today" on "none other than the Jews... because their forefathers had shown the same enmity to the Prophet (Mohammed)." He also claimed divisions among Muslim communities were because of Jewish people. Mr Haddad said most of the speeches identified had been taken down because he "didn't want the headache", while the complaint was being mediated at the Australian Human Rights Commission. 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He defended his relationship with Khaled Sharrouf, an Australian ISIS member who was reportedly killed in a drone strike in Syria, because he was fighting other combatants in a bloody civil war. The preacher, also known as Abu Ousayd, maintains religious and political contexts are needed to situate his sermons, including the war on Gaza. "If you really look into it, our talks were never aimed at any Jews in Australia, rather we were speaking about the Jewish state of Israel," he said. Mr Haddad maintains he wears his emotions on his sleeve and that he has not breached any laws. "This is a test, not for me, this is a test for democracy itself." Wissam Haddad's fiery sermons have racked up thousands of views online but are now being scrutinised in a lawsuit brought by a Jewish group alleging anti-Semitism. The Islamist preacher maintains all his words are backed up by scriptures from the Koran and other Islamic texts. "I like to call Islam a divine ideology and I'm going to give reference from that," he told AAP ahead of his Federal Court hearing on Tuesday. "If people have an issue with the reference that I'm bringing, that I wholeheartedly know and believe is from God, then they should take this up with God, not me." The Sydney-based Al Madina Dawah Centre cleric has been accused of racial discrimination in more than 110 pages of court documents that detail inflammatory remarks in sermons posted on social media. Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim and deputy president Robert Goot are seeking injunctions requiring the removal of the allegedly racist speeches and prohibiting Mr Haddad from making similar comments in future. The pair, who are not seeking compensation or damages, hope the case will serve as "a warning to deter others seeking to mobilise racism in order to promote their political views". 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ECAJ is a prominent group representing the Jewish community that has received more than $55 million in funding from the federal government in the past two years in light of anti-Semitic attacks on synagogues and schools. The council's co-CEO Alex Ryvchin's former home was the target of an arson and graffiti attack in January. Mr Haddad has courted controversy for being friends with former Australian members who joined terrorist group the Islamic State and posted gruesome videos of their atrocities, including beheadings. He defended his relationship with Khaled Sharrouf, an Australian ISIS member who was reportedly killed in a drone strike in Syria, because he was fighting other combatants in a bloody civil war. The preacher, also known as Abu Ousayd, maintains religious and political contexts are needed to situate his sermons, including the war on Gaza. "If you really look into it, our talks were never aimed at any Jews in Australia, rather we were speaking about the Jewish state of Israel," he said. Mr Haddad maintains he wears his emotions on his sleeve and that he has not breached any laws. "This is a test, not for me, this is a test for democracy itself." Wissam Haddad's fiery sermons have racked up thousands of views online but are now being scrutinised in a lawsuit brought by a Jewish group alleging anti-Semitism. The Islamist preacher maintains all his words are backed up by scriptures from the Koran and other Islamic texts. "I like to call Islam a divine ideology and I'm going to give reference from that," he told AAP ahead of his Federal Court hearing on Tuesday. "If people have an issue with the reference that I'm bringing, that I wholeheartedly know and believe is from God, then they should take this up with God, not me." The Sydney-based Al Madina Dawah Centre cleric has been accused of racial discrimination in more than 110 pages of court documents that detail inflammatory remarks in sermons posted on social media. Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim and deputy president Robert Goot are seeking injunctions requiring the removal of the allegedly racist speeches and prohibiting Mr Haddad from making similar comments in future. The pair, who are not seeking compensation or damages, hope the case will serve as "a warning to deter others seeking to mobilise racism in order to promote their political views". Among the speeches detailed in their statement of claim, Mr Haddad blames the roots of "the enmity that we see today" on "none other than the Jews... because their forefathers had shown the same enmity to the Prophet (Mohammed)." He also claimed divisions among Muslim communities were because of Jewish people. Mr Haddad said most of the speeches identified had been taken down because he "didn't want the headache", while the complaint was being mediated at the Australian Human Rights Commission. But he said he refused to comply with other demands from the council including reading a pre-written apology at a synagogue and attending an anti-racism workshop, and this had prompted the Federal Court lawsuit. The council was contacted to verify Mr Haddad's claims but it declined to comment instead referring to a statement when it launched the lawsuit which seeks "to defend the honour of the community." ECAJ is a prominent group representing the Jewish community that has received more than $55 million in funding from the federal government in the past two years in light of anti-Semitic attacks on synagogues and schools. The council's co-CEO Alex Ryvchin's former home was the target of an arson and graffiti attack in January. Mr Haddad has courted controversy for being friends with former Australian members who joined terrorist group the Islamic State and posted gruesome videos of their atrocities, including beheadings. He defended his relationship with Khaled Sharrouf, an Australian ISIS member who was reportedly killed in a drone strike in Syria, because he was fighting other combatants in a bloody civil war. The preacher, also known as Abu Ousayd, maintains religious and political contexts are needed to situate his sermons, including the war on Gaza. "If you really look into it, our talks were never aimed at any Jews in Australia, rather we were speaking about the Jewish state of Israel," he said. Mr Haddad maintains he wears his emotions on his sleeve and that he has not breached any laws. "This is a test, not for me, this is a test for democracy itself." Wissam Haddad's fiery sermons have racked up thousands of views online but are now being scrutinised in a lawsuit brought by a Jewish group alleging anti-Semitism. The Islamist preacher maintains all his words are backed up by scriptures from the Koran and other Islamic texts. "I like to call Islam a divine ideology and I'm going to give reference from that," he told AAP ahead of his Federal Court hearing on Tuesday. "If people have an issue with the reference that I'm bringing, that I wholeheartedly know and believe is from God, then they should take this up with God, not me." The Sydney-based Al Madina Dawah Centre cleric has been accused of racial discrimination in more than 110 pages of court documents that detail inflammatory remarks in sermons posted on social media. Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim and deputy president Robert Goot are seeking injunctions requiring the removal of the allegedly racist speeches and prohibiting Mr Haddad from making similar comments in future. The pair, who are not seeking compensation or damages, hope the case will serve as "a warning to deter others seeking to mobilise racism in order to promote their political views". Among the speeches detailed in their statement of claim, Mr Haddad blames the roots of "the enmity that we see today" on "none other than the Jews... because their forefathers had shown the same enmity to the Prophet (Mohammed)." He also claimed divisions among Muslim communities were because of Jewish people. Mr Haddad said most of the speeches identified had been taken down because he "didn't want the headache", while the complaint was being mediated at the Australian Human Rights Commission. But he said he refused to comply with other demands from the council including reading a pre-written apology at a synagogue and attending an anti-racism workshop, and this had prompted the Federal Court lawsuit. The council was contacted to verify Mr Haddad's claims but it declined to comment instead referring to a statement when it launched the lawsuit which seeks "to defend the honour of the community." ECAJ is a prominent group representing the Jewish community that has received more than $55 million in funding from the federal government in the past two years in light of anti-Semitic attacks on synagogues and schools. The council's co-CEO Alex Ryvchin's former home was the target of an arson and graffiti attack in January. Mr Haddad has courted controversy for being friends with former Australian members who joined terrorist group the Islamic State and posted gruesome videos of their atrocities, including beheadings. He defended his relationship with Khaled Sharrouf, an Australian ISIS member who was reportedly killed in a drone strike in Syria, because he was fighting other combatants in a bloody civil war. The preacher, also known as Abu Ousayd, maintains religious and political contexts are needed to situate his sermons, including the war on Gaza. "If you really look into it, our talks were never aimed at any Jews in Australia, rather we were speaking about the Jewish state of Israel," he said. Mr Haddad maintains he wears his emotions on his sleeve and that he has not breached any laws. "This is a test, not for me, this is a test for democracy itself."
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Early election looms as state leaders trade blame
A state election is inching closer as an embattled premier refuses to stand down to spare voters the pain of returning to the polls. Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff is preparing to call an early election as soon as Tuesday after narrowly losing a no-confidence motion in state parliament. But he is forging ahead with plans to recall parliament on Tuesday to pass a bill to ensure government workers can keep getting paid, before asking Governor Barbara Baker to call an election. She could approve his request or ask another Liberal MP or Labor leader Dean Winter to try to form minority government. Mr Rockliff said an election date would likely be set this week and confirmed he would lead the party to the poll. "Dean Winter's guaranteed the election," he told reporters on Sunday. Tasmanians were sent to the ballot box for a state election as recently as March 2024 and another would mark the fourth in seven years. The unofficial election campaign has already kicked off, with Mr Rockliff revealing former federal MP Bridget Archer will run for Liberal preselection in the state seat of Bass. Mr Rockliff also confirmed the Liberals would not pull a previous pledge to introduce a five per cent levy on short-stay rentals, including Airbnb listings. The levy would partially offset the cost of waiving stamp duty for first-time buyers purchasing homes worth up to $750,000. Mr Winter is sticking to his guns in ruling out forming government with the Greens, without whom Labor doesn't have the numbers. He has defended bringing forward the no-confidence motion over the state budget, privatisation concerns and the Spirit of Tasmania ferry debacle, and doubled down on calls for Mr Rockliff to resign. "He's carrying on at the moment like a spoiled child that's been given out in a game of cricket," Mr Winter said. "And then instead of just accepting the umpire's decision he's picking up his bat and ball and going home." A state election is inching closer as an embattled premier refuses to stand down to spare voters the pain of returning to the polls. Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff is preparing to call an early election as soon as Tuesday after narrowly losing a no-confidence motion in state parliament. But he is forging ahead with plans to recall parliament on Tuesday to pass a bill to ensure government workers can keep getting paid, before asking Governor Barbara Baker to call an election. She could approve his request or ask another Liberal MP or Labor leader Dean Winter to try to form minority government. Mr Rockliff said an election date would likely be set this week and confirmed he would lead the party to the poll. "Dean Winter's guaranteed the election," he told reporters on Sunday. Tasmanians were sent to the ballot box for a state election as recently as March 2024 and another would mark the fourth in seven years. The unofficial election campaign has already kicked off, with Mr Rockliff revealing former federal MP Bridget Archer will run for Liberal preselection in the state seat of Bass. Mr Rockliff also confirmed the Liberals would not pull a previous pledge to introduce a five per cent levy on short-stay rentals, including Airbnb listings. The levy would partially offset the cost of waiving stamp duty for first-time buyers purchasing homes worth up to $750,000. Mr Winter is sticking to his guns in ruling out forming government with the Greens, without whom Labor doesn't have the numbers. He has defended bringing forward the no-confidence motion over the state budget, privatisation concerns and the Spirit of Tasmania ferry debacle, and doubled down on calls for Mr Rockliff to resign. "He's carrying on at the moment like a spoiled child that's been given out in a game of cricket," Mr Winter said. "And then instead of just accepting the umpire's decision he's picking up his bat and ball and going home." A state election is inching closer as an embattled premier refuses to stand down to spare voters the pain of returning to the polls. Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff is preparing to call an early election as soon as Tuesday after narrowly losing a no-confidence motion in state parliament. But he is forging ahead with plans to recall parliament on Tuesday to pass a bill to ensure government workers can keep getting paid, before asking Governor Barbara Baker to call an election. She could approve his request or ask another Liberal MP or Labor leader Dean Winter to try to form minority government. Mr Rockliff said an election date would likely be set this week and confirmed he would lead the party to the poll. "Dean Winter's guaranteed the election," he told reporters on Sunday. Tasmanians were sent to the ballot box for a state election as recently as March 2024 and another would mark the fourth in seven years. The unofficial election campaign has already kicked off, with Mr Rockliff revealing former federal MP Bridget Archer will run for Liberal preselection in the state seat of Bass. Mr Rockliff also confirmed the Liberals would not pull a previous pledge to introduce a five per cent levy on short-stay rentals, including Airbnb listings. The levy would partially offset the cost of waiving stamp duty for first-time buyers purchasing homes worth up to $750,000. Mr Winter is sticking to his guns in ruling out forming government with the Greens, without whom Labor doesn't have the numbers. He has defended bringing forward the no-confidence motion over the state budget, privatisation concerns and the Spirit of Tasmania ferry debacle, and doubled down on calls for Mr Rockliff to resign. "He's carrying on at the moment like a spoiled child that's been given out in a game of cricket," Mr Winter said. "And then instead of just accepting the umpire's decision he's picking up his bat and ball and going home." A state election is inching closer as an embattled premier refuses to stand down to spare voters the pain of returning to the polls. Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff is preparing to call an early election as soon as Tuesday after narrowly losing a no-confidence motion in state parliament. But he is forging ahead with plans to recall parliament on Tuesday to pass a bill to ensure government workers can keep getting paid, before asking Governor Barbara Baker to call an election. She could approve his request or ask another Liberal MP or Labor leader Dean Winter to try to form minority government. Mr Rockliff said an election date would likely be set this week and confirmed he would lead the party to the poll. "Dean Winter's guaranteed the election," he told reporters on Sunday. Tasmanians were sent to the ballot box for a state election as recently as March 2024 and another would mark the fourth in seven years. The unofficial election campaign has already kicked off, with Mr Rockliff revealing former federal MP Bridget Archer will run for Liberal preselection in the state seat of Bass. Mr Rockliff also confirmed the Liberals would not pull a previous pledge to introduce a five per cent levy on short-stay rentals, including Airbnb listings. The levy would partially offset the cost of waiving stamp duty for first-time buyers purchasing homes worth up to $750,000. Mr Winter is sticking to his guns in ruling out forming government with the Greens, without whom Labor doesn't have the numbers. He has defended bringing forward the no-confidence motion over the state budget, privatisation concerns and the Spirit of Tasmania ferry debacle, and doubled down on calls for Mr Rockliff to resign. "He's carrying on at the moment like a spoiled child that's been given out in a game of cricket," Mr Winter said. "And then instead of just accepting the umpire's decision he's picking up his bat and ball and going home."
