The Australian federal election poll date is finally set for 3 May. While much of the discussion has been speculation about when Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will set the date, there has been a diverse range of perspectives from different media outlets.
Using media data from our media monitoring platform (covering March 1 to March 10), we analysed the most talked-about election topics and the differences in online coverage across seven prominent national media outlets (The Guardian, Australian Financial Review, The Australian, News.com.au, Sky News Online, SBS News, and ABC News) to understand what they are focusing on and the types of election-related content most likely to gain media attention.
Overall sentiment
The seven outlets produced 434 mentions of the Federal Election between March 1 and March 10. Sentiment was mostly neutral in tone (67%), while 20% of the coverage had positive sentiment and 13% were negative in sentiment.
The Australian led Federal Election coverage with 31% of mentions, followed by Sky News Online, news.com.au and ABC News Online.
While the majority of coverage was neutral in tone across all seven outlets, when we remove the neutral coverage, the insights start to get very interesting. Looking at the outlets at a publisher level, we see that NewsCorp outlets (The Australian, Sky News Online and news.com.au) all produced a significantly higher volume of negative coverage when compared to the other outlets. Sky News produced the largest proportion of negative coverage at 28.2%. This was followed by news.com.au and The Australian, both with over 15% negative coverage. The remaining outlets all produced less than 2% negative coverage.
Interesting though, The Australian also published the highest proportion of positive stories in relation to the Federal Election.
Mentions and sentiment by media outlet
Organisations mentioned alongside “Federal Election”
Thanks to our “Other organisations in your search” feature in our monitoring dashboard, we can easily see the organisations that are most prominently mentioned within the article.
It should be no surprise to see that the most mentioned organisations are political parties with Labor leading the way, followed by Coalition and Greens. While these results are somewhat expected, it remains to be seen if prominence equals success at the ballot box.
Political parties mentioned:
- Labor: 56%
- Coalition: 34%
- Greens: 10%
The leading topics
The leading topics chart shows us the overarching topics being covered within articles mentioning “Federal Election” in the given timeframe. Let’s have a look at what those topics were.
Politics dominated the discourse
Domestic politics dominated the discourse, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the reporting. Media attention was focused on leadership battles, party strategies, and campaign announcements. There was extensive reporting on debates, polls, and potential election outcomes.
Key topics
- Political Leadership: Anthony Albanese, Peter Dutton, and party strategies.
- Policy Issues: Tax policies, Medicare, energy policies, and budget discussions.
- State Elections Impact: WA election results and their implications.
- Economic Issues: Budget concerns, fiscal management, and investor sentiment.
- Media and Public Sentiment: How different sources frame political narratives.
Government policy and business regulations
About 10% of the coverage was around government policy and business regulations. These articles discussed topics such as superannuation, housing and energy.
Key topics
- Superannuation & Housing: Policies regarding home ownership and superannuation access.
- Energy & Renewables: Government renewable energy policies, offshore wind projects, and transition challenges.
- Economic Concerns: Budget issues, taxation, cost-of-living crisis, and investment risks.
- Regulatory & Financial Policies: Changes in financial regulations, liquidity rules, and economic impacts.
The economy
The economy constituted another 9% of coverage. Similar to the federal budget discussion, economic policies were a major point of interest. However, in an election context, coverage focused on how different parties plan to handle inflation, taxation, and unemployment.
Cost of living, wages, energy and global economic factors were also being discussed in this context.
Key topics
- Economic and Budget Concerns: Cost of living, tax cuts, Medicare funding, and government spending.
- Energy & Renewables: Policies regarding renewable energy, offshore wind projects, and transition challenges.
- Global Political Trends: Australia’s position in international affairs, relations with Canada and Germany, and broader global political shifts.
The role of disasters, accidents, and rescue in media coverage
For 7% of the election-related coverage, ex-tropical cyclone Alfred was the focus of attention, as well as its impact on the election date and the potential outcome of the election. Topics included party responses to cyclones, floods, and fires, leadership during crises, and economic consequences.
The weakening of ex-tropical cyclone Alfred before landfall also sparked debates on the relationship between climate change and the frequency of natural disasters. Political figures, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, linked such events to broader climate patterns, influencing election discussions on environmental policies and disaster preparedness.
The election discourse also encompassed energy policies related to climate resilience. Discussions about nuclear power and renewable energy sources are tied to strategies for mitigating climate-induced disasters.
Key topics
- Natural Disasters & Government Response: Cyclone Alfred's impact, disaster relief efforts, and government response.
- Energy & Climate Policies: Climate policy criticisms, renewable energy strategies, and government intervention.
Society and social issues
Finally, society and social issues comprised about 7% of coverage. Issues discussed included cost of living, superannuation reforms, gender equality, minority representation, leadership positions, and social divisions.
Key topics
- Cost of Living & Economic Challenges: Housing affordability, food security, and inflation.
- Superannuation & Wealth Policies: Proposals affecting homeownership and superannuation access.
- Gender & Social Issues: Women in politics, trans rights, and gender-based policy discussions.
- Minority Representation & Advocacy: Muslim Votes Matter, minority candidate endorsements, and voter engagement.
- Polarisation & Political Discourse: Topics like anti-Semitism, racism, and social cohesion are being debated.
- Energy & Climate Change: Policies around renewables, nuclear energy, and economic sustainability.
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