Millions of Australians have been hit with unsolicited political text messages from Clive Palmer’s newly rebranded political party — Trumpet of Patriots — ahead of the 3 May federal election. And much to the frustration of recipients, there’s no opt-out button in sight.
On Thursday, Australians across the country began receiving abrupt, grammatically questionable text messages promoting the Trumpet of Patriots’ policies.
“Solve housing fast trains 20 minute CBD. Super for deposit 3% interest, cut immigration by 80%,” the messages read, linking recipients to the party’s website and authorised by H Fong Trumpet of Patriots.
The backlash was immediate. Social media users vented their anger, calling the messages “annoying” and “invasive”.
“Why am I receiving Trumpet of bloody Patriots texts …. they can shove their trumpets up their patriotic arses …” one X user questions.
Why am I receiving Trumpet of bloody Patriots texts …. they can shove their trumpets up their patriotic arses … pic.twitter.com/4hWx2owdUh
— Brenda Bogert ♀️🐨🇺🇦💜⚪💚🇵🇸 (@BrendaJ69492764) April 27, 2025
“I am getting political messages from Trumpet of Patriots group by text. I can’t reply or block, only delete. How do I stop this junk?” another social media user fumed.
“I’m sick of these “Trumpet of Patriots” texts. Isn’t this harassment? Stalking? I never signed up for these. I realise if I give a business my number they can text me but they have an opt out option. These blasted Palmer texts don’t allow u to stop them & u can’t even block!” another complained.
Others took aim at the party’s branding and communication skills. “I’m getting texts from Trumpet of Patriots and the grammar is horrendous. That tells me Babet is writing them himself,” one user joked, referring to the party’s only sitting Senator, Ralph Babet.
Trumpet of Patriots text no read good pic.twitter.com/2piHWJwiFS
— The Bell Tower Times (@BellTowerTimes) April 25, 2025
Is It Even Legal?
Yes — frustratingly for many voters, it is.
According to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), political parties are exempt from both the Spam Act and the Do Not Call Register.
“It is legal,” an AEC spokesman confirmed to Daily Mail Australia. “Political parties are exempt from the Spam Act and the Do Not Call Register. The AEC does not supply phone numbers to parties and doesn’t know where they get that information from.”
The only real legal requirement is that political text messages must be authorised — that is, the sender must clearly disclose who is responsible for the message. In this case, the Trumpet of Patriots’ texts linked to a website where the authorisation was available.
“Regarding the content — as always, it’s the voters’ job to stop and consider what they hear, see or read this election,” the AEC added.
Why Political Texts Don’t Need an Unsubscribe Option
Under Australian law, commercial electronic messages — the kind that offer, advertise, or promote goods or services — must comply with the Spam Act, meaning they require consent and an unsubscribe link.
However, political messages are not classified as commercial.
According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) website: “An electronic message which is seeking to influence your vote or opinion is unlikely to be commercial. If a message is not commercial, the sender does not need your permission to send it and does not need to include an unsubscribe option in the message.”
In other words, because Palmer’s Trumpet of Patriots is trying to sway your vote rather than sell you a product, the usual anti-spam protections simply don’t apply.
Similarly, political phone calls and polling calls are largely exempt from telemarketing rules — even if you’re registered on the Do Not Call Register.
Where Did They Get Your Number?
That remains unclear.
The AEC stresses that it does not provide political parties with voters’ phone numbers. Instead, parties typically acquire contact details through a combination of public directories, marketing databases, previous campaign interactions, or commercial list brokers.
Despite growing concerns about privacy, there’s currently no requirement for political parties to disclose exactly how they source phone numbers for campaigning purposes.
Palmer’s Persistent Campaigning
Despite his limited electoral success in recent years, Palmer remains undeterred, spending millions on advertising across online platforms, television, and billboards — even in some of the country’s safest seats.
Following the dissolution of the United Australia Party, Palmer’s Trumpet of Patriots promises “commonsense policies for all Australians” — although, if the public’s reaction to his recent text blitz is anything to go by, it might take more than 160 characters to win over voters this time.
The Trumpet of Patriots party has reportedly spent $5.6 million on television ads, making his party the third-highest spender on traditional media. The ads have featured frequent attacks on both major parties and promote his party’s nationalist messaging. Known for blanketing networks with high-frequency placement, the high-frequency messaging indicates that Palmer is again favouring saturation over nuance.
However, it is on YouTube where Palmer is really going all in. He has already spent more than $4 million on the platform — more than any other party — with a campaign designed to reach broad audiences, not just specific voter segments. According to video ad measurement firm Adgile, YouTube is hosting 40% more political advertising than during the last federal election, and Palmer is leading the charge.
At the start of last week, Palmer’s $4.2 million YouTube spend dwarfed the Coalition’s $2.3 million and Labor’s $2 million.
