Should political parties be legally required to prove the truthfulness of their election advertisements?

Currently, federal law in Australia does not require political advertising to be truthful, meaning parties can legally make misleading claims during an election campaign. Reformers are pushing for "truth in political advertising" laws, similar to those in South Australia, which would allow an independent body to ban ads found to be materially false. Proponents say this is necessary to prevent misinformation from hijacking democracy and eroding trust in institutions. Opponents argue that regulating political speech is dangerous, as defining "truth" in political debate is difficult and could lead to censorship or partisan bias by the regulators.