[no bill text published] Civil penalties for misleading visual depictions of candidates in electoral and referendum matter
Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Communications) Bill 2025
Independent Bill1st House
2nd House
Law
Introduced by: Zali Steggall (IND)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
People and entities cannot authorise misleading electoral matter that uses fake factual images of candidates.
People and entities cannot disseminate misleading referendum matter during a referendum period.
The Chair of the Electoral Communications Panel can demand information and documents from people.
The Federal Court can grant injunctions to stop people from sharing misleading matter.
A Decision Panel must investigate referrals of misleading matter; it must make a decision on whether a law was broken.
The Decision Panel must publish reasons if it fails to make a decision within the required timeframe.
An entity is treated as having authorised a communication if its agent or officer authorised it.