Social media & influencers reshape narrative ahead of election

Meltwater has released new analysis detailing trends in social media engagement and sentiment ahead of the upcoming Australian Federal Election.

The data, collected between 14 March and 1 May 2025, tracked over 1.3 million posts across social and news media platforms using Meltwater's Election Centre dashboard.

According to the findings, social media activity related to the election has increased by 20% over the last two weeks, amassing more than 4 million engagements as the main parties amplify their campaigns.

Power and energy have emerged as the most discussed topics overall, with a total of 109,000 campaign posts and 34,500 new posts in the most recent two-week period. However, cost of living issues have drawn the highest engagement, generating 426,000 engagements and reaching 20.1 million users.

Despite the Liberal Party and its leader Peter Dutton generating significantly more social media posts and engagements than Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party (180,000 posts and 1.8 million engagements versus 76,000 posts and 885,000 engagements), sentiment towards Dutton remains largely negative. Meltwater's dashboard shows this negative sentiment persisting throughout the period.

Distinct narrative battlegrounds have developed on social channels. The Liberal Party has continued to focus its message on power and energy, while Labor has shifted towards healthcare in recent days.

This change followed Albanese's announcements on Medicare investment, resulting in healthcare becoming the most trending Labor topic during the analysed period.

Several viral moments have emerged throughout the campaign. A satirical Betoota Advocate post, which teased the idea of adding dental to Medicare before purchasing nuclear submarines, reached 173,000 users and generated over 27,000 engagements.

Separately, the endorsement of Albanese by Joe Exotic, known from the 'Tiger King' documentary, sparked over 12,000 engagements after being shared by 9News on Instagram.

Ross Candido, Vice President ANZ at Meltwater, commented on the significance of online engagement in this year's election cycle. "We are witnessing Australia's first truly social media-led election, where influencers and social-first content are setting the tone of the national conversation. Australians have been highly engaged online, and some of the most impactful voices this election aren't politicians or journalists, but everyday creators shaping public opinion in real time."

"We're seeing a clear shift, not just in what voters care about, but how and where they engage. The latest polling shows early voting preferences leaning toward the Liberal Party, though Labor maintains a slight lead on a two-party preferred basis. What's particularly compelling is how closely social media sentiment mirrored voter behaviour in the last election—and whether that will prove true again."

Meltwater's earlier analysis of activity between 14 March and 14 April indicated public engagement was high but general sentiment towards the election was negative.

The negativity stemmed largely from conversations around the rising cost of living and the ongoing housing crisis, which at the time accounted for over 100,000 social media discussions.

Power and energy topics led in terms of trending activity, recording 70,000 posts, 825,000 engagements and a reach of 37 million. Cost of living was close behind with 64,700 posts. Notably, discussion of the housing crisis increased by 39% in the space of a week, prompted by policy developments from the Albanese government.

Comparing the major parties, the Liberal Party generated a higher volume of activity—293,000 posts and 2.89 million engagements versus Labor's 163,000 posts and 2.14 million engagements.

Albanese's presence online, strengthened by 1.7 million followers and collaborative efforts with influencers, resulted in higher overall reach (229 million) compared to traditional measures of engagement.

The parties' focus also diverged significantly in their online narratives. Labor leadership discussions primarily revolved around healthcare, which was the focus of 25% of all trending topics related to Albanese, followed by tax (6.1%), housing crisis (5.2%), and cost of living (5.2%).

The Liberal Party's online conversations centred on economic issues, with cost of living (16.5%) and power and energy (14.1%) taking precedence, alongside the housing crisis (12.3%). Healthcare made up only 7% of the Liberal Party's trending content.

Influencer-driven content is playing a growing role in voter engagement, especially among younger demographics. Abbie Chatfield has become a prominent voice online, with one of her posts—featuring Greens Leader Adam Bandt DJ-ing to encourage youth support—attracting 22,000 engagements and 79,000 in reach.

Bandt and Albanese both appeared on her podcast 'It's A Lot', bolstering their social media presence. Additional highly engaging posts include Pauline Hanson's Facebook commentary on immigration (49,000 engagements) and BatesforBrisbane's Instagram reel dubbing Peter Dutton "Temu Trump" (43,000 engagements). Another Betoota Advocate post satirising Dutton's policy reversals received 20,000 engagements.

Ross Candido also addressed the implications for campaigns and brands: "Australians are showing up in force online this election, but it's clear from the data that emotional fatigue and scepticism are running high. What we're seeing is a real shift—not just in what voters care about, but in how and where they're engaging."

"Influencers and social-first content are driving the conversation, far outpacing traditional media. For brands and political campaigns alike, tools like Meltwater's Election Centre are critical to understanding these evolving dynamics, identifying the right channels, tailoring content that actually cuts through, and monitoring any unintended association with misinformation or content that doesn't align with the brand's or political campaigns' narrative and values."

The Meltwater Election Centre dashboard consolidates insights from news, social media, and broadcast sources in real time, tracking shifting themes, sentiment, and party reputation as the election campaign progresses.