Let voters be the judge on election lies: AEC

Voters are the best judge of election lies and should be left to make up their own minds on political advertising, Australia's election watchdog says.

In recent years, some politicians and advocates have mounted a push for false or misleading ads to be outlawed during election campaigns.

But acting electoral commissioner Jeff Pope says voters are the best regulator of campaign material.

"The voters are the ones that will make up their minds about party worker behaviour and corflutes and how to vote cards," he said.

Mr Pope told a parliamentary hearing into the 2025 federal election in Canberra on Wednesday that Australian Electoral Commission officials did not want to be the "arbiters of truth".

"That would be the start of a spiral," he said.

"We'll be seen to be actually or perceive