Advance criticised for using unblurred footage of children from education organisations without consent

Conservative lobby group Advance is facing mounting backlash after it was revealed that footage of identifiable children, taken from schools and early learning centres, was used in a political advertisement without consent from parents, guardians, or the organisations involved.

The ad, titled Welcome To Your Own Country, has been viewed more than 230,000 times across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube since it launched on 15 June. The video attacks Welcome to Country ceremonies and includes images of minors participating in Acknowledgement of Country activities, many of whom can be clearly identified.

An investigation by ABC News Verify confirmed that footage was sourced from public social media accounts of:

• Four childcare and early learning centres
• One playgroup organisation
• Two primary schools
• One P–12 school
• Not-for-profit group Reconciliation Australia
• ABC programming featuring children

None of the organisations approached by ABC had granted permission for their content to be used. Several have since demanded the footage be removed, with at least one lodging a copyright complaint with YouTube and another seeking advice from the eSafety Commissioner.

A Queensland Education Department spokesperson confirmed neither the department nor the featured school had been consulted:

“We object to footage of our students being used in this way, even more so without their knowledge and without the consent of their parents.”

While Advance claimed it had simply used publicly available material, privacy experts say this does not exempt the group from legal obligations.

Technology and privacy lawyer James Patto said it is “at least arguable” that the ad breaches the Privacy Act, particularly if the footage is deemed to contain sensitive information.

“Just because something’s online doesn’t mean it’s fair game under privacy law,” Mr Patto said.

“If the footage reveals sensitive information, such as racial or ethnic origin, then explicit consent is required for its use, consent given to a school or film crew would not cover a political purpose.”

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), which regulates privacy in Australia, has been contacted regarding the matter.

Reconciliation Australia, whose original video content was also repurposed without permission, expressed alarm at the unauthorised use of images of minors.

“We are very concerned that Advance appears to have used images of children with no attempt to de-identify them, and without permission from parents or guardians,” the organisation said.

The group stressed that all parents had signed release forms for their original content, but these permissions did not extend to third-party political campaigns.

When approached by ABC, Advance stated it had not received complaints from organisations or individuals and described the public response as “overwhelmingly positive.”

The group did not comment on whether it would take steps to remove the unauthorised content.

The incident raises significant concerns for early childhood education and care (ECEC) providers, particularly regarding:

• Consent and privacy – ensuring images of children are protected and only used for their intended purposes.
• Reputational risk – unauthorised use of service content in political campaigns may undermine community trust.
• Regulatory oversight – the case highlights the need for clear enforcement of privacy protections when minors are involved.

This article is based on reporting from ABC News.