Digital Lies That Rig Your Vote: A Guide to Voting Smart in 2025

Election 2025 – Australia’s Weak Laws Let Misinformation Thrive – Here’s How to Stay Sharp for Pre-Poll

By Sue Barrett

I asked Grok, the AI built by xAI, what’s being overlooked in the 2025 Australian election campaign that voters need to know before pre-poll voting starts next week. With the federal election set for 3 May, Grok’s answer was stark: digital lies, amplified by platforms like WeChat, TikTok, and X, are spreading unchecked because Australia lacks truth in political advertising laws.

Trans Tasman’s research shows 60% of Aussies fear misinformation will sway their vote.

A key example, reported by Guardian Australia on 18 April 2025, is a WeChat video shared 2,000 times by “Auntie Guoer,” a Liberal Party campaigner in Aston, Melbourne. It falsely claims a re-elected Albanese government would adopt the Greens’ “far-left” agenda, “plunder” the middle class, and seize vacant homes – lies targeting Chinese-Australian voters in seats like Aston and Chisholm.

The AEC can’t stop the video’s misinformation, only flagging its missing authorisation, unlike Europe’s tough laws.

The AEC also warns AI-generated deepfakes are a growing threat.

As pre-poll opens, Liberal Party and fossil fuel aligned groups like Advance Australia and Australians for Prosperity are spreading dodgy flyers to trick you. Here’s your guide to voting smart.

The Problem: No Truth Laws, Weak AEC Powers

Unlike Germany or France, where false ads face fines, Australia’s Electoral Act lets campaigners lie outside official campaign periods. South Australia’s truth laws fine liars up to $25,000, but federally, nothing. The AEC, not the “internet police,” can only act on unauthorised ads, not lies, as they told Guardian Australia. Labor’s 2024 truth bill stalled, with Peter Dutton calling it “welcome” but deflecting to Labor’s “scare campaigns,” while his Liberal allies, like the WeChat group, spread falsehoods. Grok flagged this as the issue we’re ignoring, leaving voters exposed.

How Lies Trick You: Dodgy Flyers and Videos

I asked Grok who’s spreading the most political lies in 2025, and it pointed to the Liberal Party, especially for targeting community independents.

The WeChat video in Aston is one example, but Liberals are also hitting community independents like Zoe Daniel in Goldstein, where Tim Wilson falsely claimed on 5 April 2025 she “failed to deliver” on climate, despite her emissions target achievement to get 43% as a floor, not a ceiling. In Kooyong, Monique Ryan faces Liberal-led push-polling via uComms, reported by ABC on 17 April 2025, exaggerating her Labor ties to sway voters. Past tactics, like 2022’s false claims about Labor links in Kooyong and Goldstein, show a pattern. Labor, Greens, and One Nation spread lies too, but Liberals’ 2025 campaign against independents stands out.

Including Advance Australia’s 2025 leaflets in Wannon claiming community independent Alex Dyson is a “Labor stooge,” despite his focus on local jobs, and in Cowper, they brand Caz Heise a “city elite” pushing “radical green agendas,” ignoring her community advocacy. Australians for Prosperity’s Instagram ads in Mackellar, falsely labelling community independent Sophie Scamps as “anti-jobs” for supporting renewables, were yanked on 11 April 2025 after the AEC called them out for breaching guidelines. Voter Michael Brain told the ABC he was misled by their unauthorised vox pops, forcing the group to delete two months of content. These lies exploit our weak laws, skewing your vote.

Why It Matters for Pre-Poll and Election Day

Pre-poll starts next week, and misinformation on WeChat, TikTok, or X can make you doubt community independents or parties, messing with your preferences in Australia’s complex voting system. Lies stoke fear about housing or jobs, pushing fiction-based choices.

The AEC’s “Stop and Consider” campaign urges scepticism, but you must stay sharp.

Your Pre-Poll Voting Guide

Grok’s advice: don’t let lies rig your vote. Here’s how to make an informed choice:

• Verify Sources: Dodgy video or flyer, like Advance’s Wannon smear? Cross-check on aec.gov.au, ABC, or SBS. No legit source? It’s a lie.
• Focus on Policies: Lies spark fear about jobs or housing. Compare policies on ABC’s Vote Compass, not viral ads.
• Master Preferential Voting: Misinformation, like fake how-to-vote cards in Dutton’s Dickson, targets your ballot. Research every candidate standing, then number every box in order of preference. Make sure you know who and what is behind each candidate.
• Report and Spread Truth: Spot a dodgy ad? Report it to aec.gov.au, even if enforcement is limited. Don’t share lies; share fact-checked info with mates.
• Find Your Polling Place: Check pre-poll locations on aec.gov.au to vote early.

Vote Smart, Demand Truth

Grok showed our weak laws let lies from WeChat videos, Advance flyers, and Australians for Prosperity’s AEC-flagged ads thrive.

Europe cracks down; Australia doesn’t, but you can.

As pre-poll opens, question every ad, check facts, and vote for real issues—housing, healthcare, jobs. Rank your preferences knowing you’ve dodged the lies.

Share this guide and make 2025 about truth. #AusVotes2025

Key Voter Resources

• Australian Electoral Commission (AEC): www.aec.gov.au – Check enrolment, pre-poll locations, postal voting, and report misinformation. Call 13 23 26 (8am–8pm local time) or +61 2 6160 2600 (overseas).
• RMIT FactLab: https://www.rmit.edu.au/about/schools-colleges/media-and-communication/industry/information-integrity-hub/fact-checks

• ABC Vote Compass: www.abc.net.au/votecompass – Compare party and independent policies.
• SBS News: www.sbs.com.au/news – Fact-checked election coverage in multiple languages.
• Telephone Voting (Blind/Low Vision): 1800 913 993 (domestic) or +61 2 6271 4611 (overseas), 8:30am–5:30pm AET, 22 April–2 May, or 8am–6pm on 3 May.

• Postal Vote Issues: Apply only via www.aec.gov.au, not party websites, to protect privacy. Deadline: 6pm, 30 April 2025.

Onward we press

 

This article was originally published on Sue Barrett

 

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