Australia’s biggest Facebook election ad spenders revealed, as experts call for spending limits

There’s no date for the election yet but candidates are spending up big online, and one of Facebook’s biggest buyers might come as a surprise.

Australia’s biggest pre-election Facebook ad spenders have been revealed and a surprise candidate leads the tally. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Exclusive: Australian political candidates have spent more than $250,000 on Facebook ads in just one month before the federal election has even called, with one minister splashing more cash on the social network than any other candidate.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has paid the tech giant more than $52,000 for advertisements in just 30 days – and almost $20,000 in the last week alone – out-spending the Prime Minister, his own political party, and any other minister or shadow minister.

But political marketing experts and policy advisers say Mr Frydenberg and other Government MPs are increasingly being baited into online spending battles with cashed-up independents that could see the platforms swamped with ads during this campaign.

And they say the soaring advertising bill should raise questions about political spending in Australia.

An analysis of Facebook political ad spending between February 19 and March 20, 2022 showed only modest spending by the two major political leaders, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison outlaying $1608 and Opposition leader Anthony Albanese paying $1500.

But Mr Frydenberg out-spent other candidates during the 30-day period, including notorious ad-buyer Clive Palmer, by paying Facebook $52,951 for posts touting visits to local businesses in his Kooyong electorate, photos with his family, and attack ads against Mr Albanese.

By comparison, the national arm of the Liberal Party spent just over $26,000 during the period.

Dr Monique Ryan, an independent candidate for Kooyong in the 2022 federal election, is investing heavily in Facebook ads.

But political experts say rather than leadership aspirations, the spending spree is likely due to competition from an independent candidate in his Victorian electorate, Dr Monique Ryan, who spent over $35,000 on Facebook ads.

Dr Ryan is backed by the Climate 200 lobby group, headed by investor Simon Holmes à Court, that spent more than $150,000 on Facebook ads during the period and sponsored a handful of independent candidates in seats held by prominent Liberal MPs.

Policy expert and former senior Howard Government adviser Terry Barnes said the tit-for-tat social media ad battle showed a lot of the election campaign would play out online, with sitting MPs spending big to defend their seats.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Picture: Flavio Brancaleone

Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese. Picture: Emma Brasier

“Certainly I think the Holmes à Court-backed candidates are very media-savvy,” he said.

“They’ve realised social media is where people’s eyeballs go and if Josh Frydenberg’s team is spending that much they’re showing they’ve got some savviness themselves.”

Australian National University political marketing expert Dr Andrew Hughes said Mr Frydenberg was clearly “in a tough race for his seat”.

But he said the Treasurer could also be looking to frame himself as a “next level leader” for the party who was digitally savvy.

“He probably wants to build a narrative around being modern, progressive, someone in touch with social media, not a conservative leader who is fits the old mould,” Dr Hughes said.

Swinburne University social media senior lecturer Dr Belinda Barnet said the 2022 federal election campaign was already proving different to previous campaigns, with candidates backing different social networks to target voters.

Clive Palmer. Picture: Damian Shaw

Facebook ads tended to reach an older audience, she said, and allowed candidates to “forensically” target individuals, while young audiences were on TikTok and YouTube.

“We’ve seen a fairly large social media spend on YouTube by Clive Palmer, for example,” she said. ”In targeting YouTube, he’s aiming ads at freedom-fighter types who are prone to watching YouTube videos and that audience is slightly younger than Facebook.”

But Mr Barnes said the big investment in social media spending should also raise questions from regulators, about “where the money is coming from” and who was seeking to influence the election.

“We put limits on what people can donate to political parties but there are no limits on spending of this kind,” he said.

“Campaign financing rules and donation rules need to be brought into the 21st century.”

Originally published as Australia’s biggest Facebook election ad spenders revealed, as experts call for spending limits