ABSTRACT
This chapter sets out the key features of the Australian political system that have shaped election advertising in the television era. It provides a history of the main shifts in the content and use of television advertising before evaluating the rise of Internet and new media campaigning. The chapter outlines Australia’s relaxed regulatory regime for election advertising and considers the effects of advertising on voters and political parties. The Australian political system has a number of distinctive features. The chapter focuses on the main features that have helped to shape election advertising, particularly via television. Australia has a Westminster-style parliamentary system with highly disciplined and stable major parties. Compulsory voting is one distinctive feature of Australia’s electoral system that has had an impact on political advertising. Political advertising has been shaped by the hybrid licensing structure of Australia’s broadcasting industries, with publicly funded state broadcasters operating alongside privately owned broadcasters who rely on revenues derived from commercial advertising.
