New data from political transparency initiative WhoTargets.Me has revealed that more than $36 million has been spent on digital election advertising across Google and Meta platforms in the three months leading up to the federal election.
Majors lead the pack
The Australian Labor Party emerged as the top spender, investing $9.1 million across its various pages, narrowly ahead of the Liberal Party, which spent $8.9 million. Clive Palmer’s Trumpet of Patriots ranked third with $6.6 million in ad spend.
Independents and initiatives such as Climate 200 collectively spent $5.2 million, just over half of Labor’s total. The remaining $5.4 million was attributed to a diverse group of third-party advertisers, including unions, advocacy groups, and newly created entities.
Among these, unions were the highest spenders at $1.2 million, followed by conservative campaign group Advance ($813,034), Hothouse Magazine ($407,055), Nuclear for Australia ($260,856), and the Clean Energy Council ($191,245).
Astroturfing concerns raised
The findings were highlighted by Comms Declare, a climate-focused communications advocacy group, which partnered with WhoTargets.Me to spotlight the scale and nature of digital political campaigning in the lead-up to the vote.
“While the major parties are spending the most on ads, third parties and front groups are playing a huge role in trying to persuade voters, often with misleading information, hidden agendas and deep pockets,” said Belinda Noble, Founder of Comms Declare.
She added that new astroturfing groups – organisations designed to appear grassroots – are still being launched on Facebook, just days before the election. “The spending data we found is only the tip of the iceberg but gives an important indicator about the overall trend,” Noble said.
The spending totals reflect activity tracked between 26 January and 25 April 2025. According to WhoTargets.Me, the data accounts for nearly 3,650 political advertisers but excludes other platforms such as TikTok and LinkedIn, as well as some pages whose financial backers remain unidentified.
The report also emphasised the growing need for transparency in digital campaigning, with WhoTargets.Me advocating for updated election laws and stronger regulatory powers to oversee digital political advertising.