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Perth Now
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Political text messages 'intrusive, vote killers'
Political text messages sent to personal devices during election campaigns are "vote killers" for Australians who find them intrusive but are unable to opt out. Voters across the country have already received political communications straight to their phones, as parties try to cut through the noise and gain an edge in spreading their message. People can't stop the spam and the Australian Electoral Commission has no insight into how political parties obtain mobile phone numbers, saying it does not provide the information. "Political parties are exempt from the Spam Act and the Privacy Act and are able to send unsolicited text messages without an opt-out option," an electoral commission spokesperson said. "Any changes to these laws would be a matter for the parliament to consider." Australian laws that regulate spam and data collection do not cover political messaging during campaigns due to exemptions in the legislation. With just three more sleeps until Saturday's federal election, parties of all political stripes have been spamming voters. Many of the messages have come from the Trumpet of Patriots, backed by mining magnate Clive Palmer. The Liberal Party previously made a last-ditch attempt to win over voters at the 2022 election by pushing out texts about the arrival of asylum seekers on Australia's shores. Political analyst Kos Samaras said campaign texts were not at all effective. "It's basically probably one of the quickest ways you can send a message to people that you are impersonal, that you lack the capacity to speak to them at a face-to-face level," he told AAP. "(It) lacks an understanding that people's mobile phones are quite a personal item, and people find intrusion quite annoying." Mr Samaras said most parties were yet to check if the tactic worked. "It annoys voters, turns voters off, and for some reason, political parties just near the end of a campaign want to grab onto anything they can use to get a last-minute message out," he said. "In reality, we are in the stage of the campaign now where the train is relatively on, heading towards the station, and it won't be diverted." Mr Samaras said the texts forced voters to deal with their messaging but that people would not react in a positive way. "It is an absolute waste of money, an absolute waste of time, and a vote killer," he said.
The Guardian
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Why am I getting Trumpet of Patriots ‘spam' text messages? Are they legal – and can I stop them?
Another election, another wave of unsolicited political texts. Over this campaign, our digital mailboxes have been stuffed with a slew of political appeals and promises, many from the new party Trumpet of Patriots (backed by Clive Palmer, a veteran of the mass text campaign). The practice isn't new, and it's totally legal under current laws. It's also non-partisan. Campaigns of all stripes have partaken. Behold, the Liberal party's last-minute SMS to voters about asylum seekers before the 2022 federal election, or Labor's controversial 'Mediscare' text before the 2016 poll. Despite multiple cycles of criticism, these tactics remain a persistent feature of Australian election campaigns. A recent proposal to update decades-old rules could help change things – if a government would put it into practice. Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter Several laws regulate 'spam' and data collection in Australia. First, there is the Spam Act. This legislation requires that organisations obtain our consent before sending us marketing emails, SMSs and instant messages. The unsubscribe links you see at the bottom of spam emails? Those are mandated by the Spam Act. Second, the Do Not Call Register (DNCR) Act. This act establishes a 'do not call' register, managed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma), which individuals can join to opt out of telemarketing calls. Finally, there is the Privacy Act, which governs how organisations collect, use and disclose our personal information. Among other things, the Privacy Act requires that organisations tell us when and why they are collecting our personal information and the purposes for which they intend to use it. It restricts organisations from re-purposing personal information collected for a particular purpose, unless an exception applies. This trio of laws was designed to offer relief from unsolicited, unwanted direct marketing. It does not, however, stop the deluge of political messages at election time due to broad political exemptions sewn into the legislation decades ago. The Spam Act and DNCR Act apply to marketing for goods and services but not election policies and promises, while the Privacy Act contains a carve-out for political parties, representatives and their contractors. The upshot is that their campaigns are free to 'spam' and target voters at will. Their only obligation is to disclose who authorised the message. Secrecy about the nature and extent of campaign data operations, enabled by the exemptions, makes it difficult to pinpoint precisely where a campaign might have obtained your data from. There are, however, a number of ways political campaigns can acquire our information. One source is the electoral roll (though not for phone numbers, as the Australian Electoral Commission often points out). Incumbent candidates might build on this with information they obtain through contact with constituents which, thanks to the exemptions, they're allowed to re-purpose for campaigning at election time. Another source is data brokers – firms which harvest, analyse and sell large quantities of data and profiles. We know the major parties have long maintained voter databases to support their targeting efforts, which have become increasingly sophisticated over the years. Other outfits might take more haphazard approaches – former MP Craig Kelly, for example, claimed to use software to randomly generate numbers for his texting campaign in 2021. Sign up to Afternoon Update: Election 2025 Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key election campaign stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Unwanted campaign texts are not only irritating to some. They can be misleading. This year, there have been reports of 'push polling' texts (pseudo surveys meant to persuade rather than gauge voter options) in the marginal seat of Kooyong. The AEC has warned about misleading postal vote applications being issued by parties via SMS. Generative AI is hastening the ability to produce misleading content, cheaply and at scale, which can be quickly pushed out across an array of online social and instant messaging services. In short, annoying texts are just one visible symptom of a wider vulnerability created by the political exemptions. The basic argument for the political exemptions is to facilitate freedom of political communication, which is protected by the constitution. As the high court has said, that freedom is necessary to support informed electoral choice. It does not, however, guarantee speakers a captive audience. In 2022, the Attorney General's Department proposed narrowing the political exemptions, as part of a suite of updates to the Privacy Act. Per the proposal, parties and representatives would need to be more transparent about their data operations, provide voters with an option to unsubscribe from targeted ads, refrain from targeting voters based on 'sensitive information', and handle data in a 'fair and reasonable' manner. The changes would be an overdue but welcome step, recognising the essential role of voter privacy in a functioning democratic system. Unfortunately, the government has not committed to taking up the proposal. A bipartisan lack of support is likely the biggest obstacle, even as the gap created by the political exemptions widens – and its rationale becomes flimsier – with each election cycle.
SBS Australia
29-04-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Trumpet of Patriots spam texts: Why are you receiving them, and are they legal?
If you have been receiving text messages from the Trumpet of Patriots party — despite never signing up to a mailing list — you are not alone. "Solve housing fast trains 20 min CBD cheaper land. Super for deposit 3% interest, cut immigration by 80%," one message reads. "Double fees for foreign students. Free education for Australians. Forgive loans Vote1 Trumpet of Patriots," another says. The messages are authorised by Trumpet of Patriots candidate Harold Fong, and have sparked criticism and anger among recipients, with many questioning whether this type of campaigning is legal. Yes, it is legal for political parties to send you unsolicited text messages. ACMA (the Australian Communications and Media Authority) regulates spam text messages in Australia under the Spam Act 2003. Under the Spam Act, anybody who plans to send marketing messages or emails must have consent from the person who will receive them. The messages must always identify the sender, contain the sender's contact details, and make it easy to unsubscribe. But political parties are exempt from the Spam Act and the Do Not Call Register, meaning they are allowed to send unsolicited text messages without an opt-out option. The messages being sent by the Trumpet of Patriots do not include an opt-out option, meaning you cannot unsubscribe. Many recipients have tried responding to the text with requests to stop the messages, but these replies fail to send. Some have tried blocking the number, but this is not guaranteed to work because the messages are not coming from a real phone number. The Australian Electoral Commission told SBS it does not supply political parties with voters' mobile phone numbers. Political parties may have accessed mobile phone numbers through a marketing agency, which could have obtained your number through online databases. Parties or marketing agencies might also use random number generators when sending out bulk messages, so receiving them can be by chance. SBS News has contacted the Trumpet of Patriots party for comment. The Trumpet of Patriots party is run by mining magnate , who previously ran the United Australia Party. According to the party's website, the Trumpet of Patriots is focused on "democracy, individual freedoms, free speech, reducing government intrusion in our lives, breaking the duopoly, real choice and real liberty". The party's policies include launching an investigation into government spending, cutting immigration, establishing high-speed rail networks, exiting the Paris Agreement, getting the 'woke agenda' out of schools, and exiting the World Health Organization, United Nations and World Economic Forum. Visit the to access articles, podcasts and videos from SBS News, NITV and our teams covering more than 60 languages.
7NEWS
28-04-2025
- Politics
- 7NEWS
Why all the election spam messages you're getting from political parties and groups such as the Trumpet of Patriots are allowed
Voters have complained about a flurry of messages from political parties and groups especially in the final week leading up to the federal election on May 3. Complaints include that the texts are invasive with no way to opt out. Clive Palmer 's Trumpet of Patriots has been one of the most prolific texters and has also generated the most ire. Despite the uproar, the texts are legal and political parties are exempt from the Spam Act and Do Not Call register. 'The spam act needs to change,' The Daily Telegraph journalist James Willis told 7NEWS Sunrise host Nat Barr on Tuesday. 'These are so annoying. 'Clive texted me twice yesterday, once the day before — now at reasonable hours, he didn't text me after dark which I'm very grateful about. 'But they are ridiculous and they're part of what is, I think, a major flaw in our election system. 'Not just the texts, but some of the stuff that's on social media — some of the other political advertising and messaging that is out there that is not properly authorised or you're not sure where the source of the funding or the material is. 'We've got deep flaws in our election system and I think these texts are a good example.' Willis also questioned how parties were getting Australians' phone numbers. 'Where is this big list?' he asked. Phone polls are also an issue during the election, Willis said. Western Sydney Women Founding director Amanda Rose pointed out there are no laws requiring political texts to be truthful. 'They can say whatever they want,' she said. 'The thing is, it's only going to turn people off you if you bombard them — just like in any texting arrangement or email. 'Our laws need to change and we actually need to make sure that whatever a politician or a party is saying is the truth.' People should also be able to opt out of these texts, Rose said. Voters on social media have expressed frustration over the texts from Palmer's party in particular. 'I never signed up for these,' one person said. 'I realise if I give a business my number they can text me but they have an opt out option. 'These blasted Palmer texts don't allow you to stop them and you can't even block!' 'Man I'm over these Trumpet of Patriots texts,' another person said. 'Is any one else getting them? I've blocked three of them already but they keep coming back.' The joint frustration has spurred a trend of people replying to the spam texts with expletives. However, these messages cannot be delivered. The Trumpet of Patriots party has been contacted for comment.
ABC News
28-04-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
How political parties can legally spam voters during the federal election
In the week of the federal election, voters have raised questions around how political parties are allowed to send spam texts without opt-out options. Millions of Australians have been receiving multiple text messages from Clive Palmer's Trumpet of Patriots party, setting off a firestorm of debate on social media around the legalities of campaigning. But how do politicians get hold of phone numbers in the first place? And what can you do about it? 'Invasive messaging' Aimee Edwards, a journalist with B&T— an online publication for the media, marketing and advertising industries — said the first reports of the "invasive messaging" from Mr Palmer's party started around last Thursday. "Everyone you speak to seems to have seen one," she told ABC radio. "Everyone online is feeling very harassed. "Regardless of your political persuasion, everyone is just kind of annoyed. "They [Trumpet of Patriots] do just seem to be sort of spraying and praying to everyone that they possibly can." Texts seen by the ABC outline the party's policies. Here is one example: " Solve housing fast trains 20 min CBD cheaper land. Super for deposit 3% interest, cut immigration by 80%. " Another example of a message appearing to come from Trumpet of Patriots. ( Photo/Supplied ) One reader, Neil, who chimed into the How do parties get your number? The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) said it had "no insight" into how political parties collected mobile phone numbers, except to confirm that the data was not provided by the commission. "Political parties are exempt from the Spam Act and the Privacy Act and are able to send unsolicited text messages without an opt-out option." an AEC spokesperson said. Photo shows A person holds a pen and a stack of postal vote papers. Australia's electoral commissioner has urged voters to "carefully consider" who they give their personal information to as the election campaign gets underway. "Any changes to these laws would be a matter for the Parliament to consider." ABC Chief Election Analyst Antony Green said he presumed Trumpet of Patriots had bought telephone number lists from data harvesters. "The electoral roll is not a useful source of phone numbers," he added. "Generally these days political parties narrow-cast their message based on any information they have collected about voters, or by aiming at specific social media channels." " Only Clive Palmer has enough money to engage in scattergun tactics like texting every phone number they can get hold off. " ABC election analyst Antony Green said politicians usually target texts to people in a specific seat. ( AAP: Chris Crerar ) Green said a traditional party would always want to target phone messages to people in a particular seat, not to everyone across the country. Why are political parties exempt? Unlike telemarketing companies, political parties are exempt from spam and marketing laws during election periods or "periods of debate", the Australian Communications and Media Authority says. The messages are not considered commercial as politicians are asking for a vote, not a purchase. This means they do not need to legally send an opt-out option or disclose where they get voters' phone numbers from. The ABC has reached out to Trumpet of Patriots for comment. Having trouble seeing this form? Try
