Australian Labor Party paid content creators’ travel costs for budget

The Australian Labor Party has compensated some of the social media influencers who covered the federal budget for their travel to Canberra, after inviting them to attend the lock-up as part of a campaign strategy to court prominent online voices.

A sportswear-brand ambassador and charity founder, Instagram finance advisers and left-wing feminist influencers were among the new media contingent who covered the budget in their social media feeds.

A government spokeswoman confirmed Labor was supporting some of the influencers, who are also eligible to apply to travel with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at their own cost during the election campaign widely expected to be called within days.

“The party has provided logistical support to some content creators in order to make travel to Canberra for budget week accessible,” the spokeswoman said after this masthead revealed the payments. “The same logistical support was provided during engagement in 2024. There has been no payment for content or opinions.”

Influencers are growing their audience in areas traditionally dominated by the mainstream media, with the funding showing how Labor is working to reach voters who use social media for their news.

Money, Money, Money podcaster Glen James told this masthead he would be declaring he received payment for flights and accommodation from the ALP. He posted a video after the lockup asking Finance Minister Katy Gallagher about HECS – and for an autograph.

Some of the influencers, including podcaster Hannah Ferguson from Cheek Media, posted videos championing their approach to coverage, saying it engaged young people, and trading off the appearance of a conflict with mainstream media.

Ferguson, who has previously created paid posts for Australia’s superannuation funds, declared on social media Labor did not pay for her travel.

“While new media is busy making content which speaks directly to Australians about how parliament works and what the budget means for them, legacy media is spending its time focused on us,” she said.

This masthead contacted Cheek Media – run by Ferguson – for comment on Tuesday.

In all, 13 content creators – including Milly Rose Bannister, Equity Mates and Tash Invests, who collectively have hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers and more on other platforms – were granted entry into the Parliament House lock-up to get an early look at the budget papers. Some paid their own way.

The people invited to report on the budget were selected by the party and government ministers, sources confirmed.

The Coalition has also sought to use influencers to spread its message.

At the budget, the influencers posted videos that included the “get ready with me” trend, which is when someone shows viewers their morning routine, often while discussing a weighty topic.

Ferguson, who has a podcast, email newsletter and works with brands such as L’Oréal, told her viewers that she would be interviewing Albanese about the budget on Wednesday and accused mainstream media of failing to cater to young people.

The budget lock-up event at Parliament House in Canberra is traditionally attended by media outlets, experts and interest groups. Attendees are admitted from 1.30pm on budget day and are not allowed to leave or communicate with the outside world until 7.30pm, when the treasurer gives his speech.

As the Albanese government heads to an election this year, Labor is working to spread the message that it is focused on the cost-of-living crisis, Medicare and education beyond mainstream media.

Milly Rose Bannister, who is building a charity focusing on Gen Z mental health and is a Sydney ambassador for Lululemon, posted a mirror selfie to her Instagram story saying “popping back down to Canberra to get frontline coverage of the ALP federal budget … see you soon Finance Minister Katy Gallagher”.

Bannister was contacted for comment.

After the budget, Bannister promoted government policies that will help young people to her 136,000 followers.

Mental Health Australia, the peak body representing the sector, declared mental health was “missing” from the budget.

Other influencers and new media outlets in the lock-up included Emily Bester from Airing Your Dirty Laundry, Emma Edwards from Broke Generation, Molly Benjamin from Ladies Finance Club, Ailish Delaney from Mamamia, Tarla Lambert-Patel and Angela Priestley from Women’s Agenda, Alicia Vrajlal from Draw Your Box and Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks from Missing Perspectives.

Previous budget lock-ups have included student media groups, including the Australian National University’s Woroni, University of Melbourne’s Farrago and the University of Sydney’s Honi Soit.

In 2017, student media were controversially excluded, despite having been allowed in the year before, by the Coalition government that used the budget to increase university fees.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.