AI and Misinformation in the Crosshairs of Labor's Review of Its Landslide Election Win
The Guardian
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Details
- Date Published
- 11 Aug 2025
- Priority Score
- 3
- Australian
- Yes
- Created
- 12 Aug 2025, 01:50 pm
Description
Party appoints four people to lead a months-long review of the 2025 campaign, despite its biggest victory in decades
Summary
The article explores the Australian Labor Party's decision to conduct a comprehensive review of its recent electoral success, focusing on threats from AI and misinformation. This review, led by prominent party members, aims to understand the challenges posed by emerging technologies and misinformation in political campaigns. The process is expected to influence future electoral reforms and strategies, enhancing readiness for potential AI-related risks. The findings may shape broader governance and policy frameworks concerning AI safety and misinformation in Australia, emphasizing the nation's proactive approach to confronting these modern challenges.
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Party officials say the review process will help the Albanese government prepare for the next election, due sometime around May 2028.Photograph: Hollie Adams/ReutersView image in fullscreenParty officials say the review process will help the Albanese government prepare for the next election, due sometime around May 2028.Photograph: Hollie Adams/ReutersAI and misinformation in crosshairs of Labor’s review of its landslide election winParty appoints four people to lead a months-long review of the 2025 campaign, despite its biggest victory in decadesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet ourbreaking news email,free appordaily news podcastLabor will use a review of its historic 3 May election victory to better prepare for cyber misinformation and artificial intelligence threats in future federal campaigns.The party’s national executive has appointed four people to lead a months-long review into the campaign, despite Labor winning 94 seats in the lower house and securingits biggest victory in decades.Submissions from party members will be called for on Wednesday.The former Victorian state secretary, Chris Ford, Australian Services Union national secretary, Emeline Gaske, former Western Australian Labor official and 2022 election review co-chair, Lenda Oshalem, and former Albanese government staffer and consultant Moksha Watts will run the process.Sign up: AU Breaking News emailDue to be completed by the end of the year, its terms of reference include consideration of key Labor policies, communication and messaging, resonance with voter groups around the country, and pushback on attacks from Peter Dutton and the Coalition during the five-week campaign.Can AI deliver economic nirvana? Only if workers can monitor and shape how it’s used | Peter LewisRead moreIt will look at AI and other emerging risks, including misinformation, fragmentation of the electorate, cyber threats, and polling booth safety.The review is also likely to guide Labor’s contributions to future debates about electoral reform in parliament.The review team is expected to examine trends in voting behaviour across local, state and national levels, as well as the trend towards increasing early voting, preference flows and demographic shifts around the country.The ALP national secretary,Paul Erickson, the architect of Labor’s victory, told Guardian Australia the formal process would help the Albanese government better prepare for the next poll, due sometime around May 2028.“Labor’s 2022 and 2025 campaigns benefited enormously from the work of our two previous campaign reviews,” he said.“The challenges we face in three years’ time will be different, and we will use this review to inform how we engage with the Australian public.”skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionDutton’s campaign tanked with voters, reducing the Liberals and Nationals to just 43 seats. The former opposition leader lost his own Queensland electorate of Dickson and the Coalition will likely need at least two more terms in opposition to be competitive at an election.Labor’s review of its 2022 victory was led by Oshalem and former minister Greg Combet. It made 27 recommendations, including calling for a key focus on delivery of election commitments, reconnecting with working-class voters and countering the Greens.Parliament’s joint standing committee on electoral matters holds an inquiry into every federal election, and considers submissions from the major parties, members of the public and organisations including the Australian Electoral Commission.The Labor MP Jerome Laxale, who represents the Sydney seat of Bennelong, is set to chair the committee in the new parliament.The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has commissioned two postmortem reviews to consider the Coalition’s loss. The Liberal elders Nick Minchin and Pru Goward areassessing the Dutton defeatand a second review is considering the Liberal party’s future structure.Explore more on these topicsLabor partyAnthony AlbaneseAustralian election 2025Sussan LeyAustralian politicsArtificial intelligence (AI)newsShareReuse this content