Have social media algorithms tilted political perceptions against the Liberal Party within the Indian Australian community? Former ministerial adviser Nitin Gupta believes the issue runs deeper than it appears.
In an earlier interview with The Indian Sun, Nitin said global digital platforms may be shaping how Indian Australians interpret political terms like “Liberal”, with effects that ripple into voting behaviour. “I understand that the general meaning/perception of word ‘Liberal’ has slightly changed back in India/global Indians after 2014, specially in the social media scenario. And that may also impact the algorithm which decides what videos global Indian community ends up watching across the world, including Australia,” he said.
He warned that the content people consume online can influence political choices. “The social media loop algorithm feed may be putting the Liberals in a disadvantage in Australia with the Indian community. The videos that they watch on social media have a direct and indirect impact on their voting patterns. So if the Liberal party could find a way through those algorithms perhaps. When strategist Mr. Kos Samaras says that 85% of Australian Indians in certain seats voted ALP, the above algorithm should also be one of the direct or indirect reasons for that.”
Nitin said the term “Liberal” itself carries different meanings around the world, which can confuse Indian Australians who use media from several countries. “The meaning of Liberals is slightly different in USA. It can get a different meaning in India, and a different meaning in Australia. A big portion of Australian Indians are regularly using social media sites that are owned and run from US. So from the social media they are directly or indirectly getting a different meaning and perception of word Liberal from US based entities. Does that align with what Liberals represent in Australia?”
He noted that he first raised the issue more than a decade ago with Victorian ministers and later with Brad Battin.
Nitin also pointed out that access to mainstream news has changed. “The mainstream online newspapers like Herald Sun, The Age, and others have become mostly available on paid subscriptions basis. How many Australian Indians would be paying those newspaper subscriptions? That leaves them turning to social media and multicultural media for news and messaging. Premier Allan has been pretty good with social media, and also in communicating through multicultural media. The Liberals would need to lift their game in both these areas.”
‘Let’s hope that Jess can lift the multicultural media game in last eleven months before the 2026 state elections, as we also want to see a stronger opposition in Victoria’
But he said the deeper problem may be the decline in Liberal Party engagement with Indian Australian media since 2010. He recalled the approach taken during the Baillieu Opposition years. “Between Nov 2006 and Nov 2010, there used to be roughly 40–50 media articles about Liberals every single month in Australian Indian media,” he said.
“Then from December 2010 onwards the media coverage about Premier Ted Baillieu in Indian Australian media reduced massively. It reduced even further when Dr. Dennis Napthine took over as Premier,” he said. By contrast, Labor leaders Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan continued steady outreach. “Premier Jacinta Allan has taken engagement with multicultural media to new heights.”
While Matthew Guy and Brad Battin appeared widely at community events, Nitin said they did not match earlier levels of media communication. “From around 40–50 media releases that community was getting every month from Liberal opposition between 2006–2010, now we were seeing around 15–20 media articles in whole calendar year,” he said. “Michael O’Brien and John Pesutto as Opposition Leaders did only minimal work with the Australian Indian media. Brad Battin was back to around 20 to 30 articles in a calendar year. And Jess Wilson is yet to make a start perhaps.”
He said the shift has left Indian Australians less informed about Liberal policies and leaders. “A community which was used to 500 plus media articles in a year—how can you keep it engaged with 20 or 30 articles, or fewer than that in a year,” he asked.
He believes the Liberals must rebuild their presence to compete with algorithmic disadvantages. “Whether or not, and how much social media algorithms have been disadvantaging the Liberals—they have not lifted their media game in Australian Indian media after Dec 2010 for reasons best known to them.”
With a new Opposition Leader now in place, Nitin hopes the party will recalibrate. “Let’s hope that Jess can lift the multicultural media game in last eleven months before the 2026 state elections, as we also want to see a stronger opposition in Victoria,” he said.
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