NSW’s latest news Instagram account has an unlikely group behind it: the Labor party
Summary
The NSW Labor Party runs the Instagram account nswnewsroom, which presents itself as a source of state news and posts political content. The article says Australian rules require authorisation for paid political ads, while unpaid social media posts face fewer disclosure requirements, raising concerns about whether users can identify who is behind them.Key Facts
- The nswnewsroom account began posting about two weeks before the article and its bio says it is authorised by the NSW Labor state secretary.
- The account posted about Liberal MP Jordan Lane being the sixth sitting Liberal member to say he would not contest the March 2027 election.
- The account added its authorisation after reporting by the Sydney Morning Herald.
- A NSW government spokesperson described nswnewsroom as a Labor-affiliated social media page and said similar accounts are used by major and minor parties.
- A Victorian Labor account, vicnewstoday, posted videos and criticism of a Liberal–One Nation preference deal; its authorisation appeared in its bio but not on individual posts.
- Meta’s ad library showed the Victorian Labor page Don’t Risk It Vic spent $67,138 promoting posts from October 31 to November 6.
- Political marketing expert Andrew Hughes said digital political communications face a loophole in Australian laws, while journalism professor Monica Attard called for clear disclosure.
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