The research explores the declining influence of media endorsements and leaders’ debates on election outcomes.
Key points:
- The 2025 and 2022 elections are the only ones in the past thirty years to have been won by a party without the endorsements of most major newspapers.
- Anthony Albanese leads the first Australian government to have never been endorsed by The Australian since the newspaper was founded in 1964.
- From 1996 to 2019, most Australian newspapers endorsed the winning party, including Kevin Rudd’s 2007 victory.
- This year’s televised leaders’ debates reached 12% of voters, at best.
- The first leaders’ debate, conducted behind a paywall on Sky News, was seen by, at best, 2% of voters.
“The endorsement of newspapers used to be much sought-after, but these days such endorsements are practically irrelevant,” said Joshua Black, report co-author and Postdoctoral Fellow at The Australia Institute.
“Despite the endorsements of all News Corp mastheads and the Australian Financial Review, the coalition suffered a major defeat.
“Anthony Albanese has now won two elections with only a handful of media endorsements.”
“Televised debates are still touted as key events but they are barely watched by voters,” said Skye Predavec, report co-author and Anne Kantor Fellow at The Australia Institute.
The 2025 IMF & World Bank Spring Meetings showed the system is broken.
Our movements are fighting back — stronger, louder, unstoppable.
1. Bretton Woods is Broken: People Demand Justice, Not Austerity
