Government ad spending audit reveals Twitter ban

Hal Crawford

April 1, 2025 10:16

The Federal government banned Twitter advertising following a “brand safety incident” in 2022, according to an official audit report into government spending on advertising.

The revelation is contained in the Australian National Audit Office’s (ANAO) report into government ad spend between 2021 and 2024, released yesterday.

The unspecified incident in September 2022 involved ads on individual Twitter profiles, and occurred just before Elon Musk’s takeover of the social media platform.

Agency UM advised the government to “pause” all Twitter spend and to permanently ban all ads on Twitter search and individual profiles.

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Hal Crawford

Crawford has worked across news media over a 30-year career, including running Ninemsn editorial in Sydney (editor-in-chief and publisher) and the TV3 newsroom in Auckland (chief news officer).