Fresh Chat

A recent study by the Australian Centre for Public Communication of the University of Technology Sydney titled E-Electioneering: Use of New Media in the 2007 Australian Federal Election found that, while 137 of Australia’s 226 Members of the House of Representatives and Senators (61 per cent) had a personal Web site, only 26 (11.5 per cent) had a MySpace site; 15 (6.6 per cent) had a blog; 13 (5.75 per cent) had posted one or more videos on YouTube; just eight (3.5 per cent) had a Facebook site; and only seven (3.1 per cent) had a podcast as at 20 November 2007.

Findings included:

The Labor Party’s Kevin07 Web strategy which involved www.kevin07.com.au and similarly branded MySpace and Facebook sites and blogs, made the best use of new media

That new Internet media genre such as blogs, YouTube and social utilities such as MySpace are most effective when they “intermediate” with press, radio and/or television which give them reach into large mass audiences.

Interest groups and activist groups used new media more actively and interactively than politicians and political parties. Applications such as Google’s On the Record and Google Maps (www.google.com.au/election2007) showing electorate boundaries and helpful information for voters; activist sites such as Get Up (www.getup.org.au) which claimed more than 200,000 ‘members’ during the 2007 Australian Federal election (more than some political parties

Interestingly the study did not mention the innovative campaign by the unions. In particular the Rights and Work campaign http://www.rightsatwork.com.au/

utilised forums, podcasts and other interactive features very well.

Further information on the study is available from Dr Jim Macnamara 

Professor of Public Communication

Director, Australian Centre for Public Communication