Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Communications) Bill 2025
Amends:
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 and Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984
- prohibit the authorisation of certain electoral and referendum matter that is inaccurate and misleading to a material extent, including material that has been modified using digital technology, such as ‘deepfakes’
- require electoral and referendum matter that has been created or modified using digital technology (including AI) to carry a statement to that effect
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
- establish an Electoral Communications Panel
Broadcasting Services Act 1992 and Special Broadcasting Service Act 1991
- remove the ‘media blackout’ period that prohibits electoral or referendum advertising in the last 3 days of voting in an election or referendum
Summary from the official bill homepage.
Progress
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| House | |
| 28 Jul 2025 | Introduced and read a first time |
| 28 Jul 2025 | Second reading moved |
| 3 Mar 2026 | Removed from the Notice Paper in accordance with (SO 42) |
Official record: bill homepage at aph.gov.au, full text and documents on ParlInfo.