From campaign to government action: What can we learn from Fix Our Feeds?

There is no shortage of organisations trying to get an issue onto the government’s agenda. But getting attention is different from creating the conditions for the government to act. Effective advocacy combines a clear problem, a practical policy ask, public momentum and support across government and the community.

Why was the Fix Our Feeds campaign so effective?

Chanel Contos, the executive director of Teach Us Consent has successfully campaigned for yet another significant reform in Australia. Previously at 21, Contos led the Teach Us Consent campaign, which after one year of campaigning resulted in the federal government mandating consent education in Australian schools.

Now, she’s done it again with Fix Our Feeds, a campaign pushing for an opt-in model for social media algorithms. Launched in December, the campaign quickly gained momentum, and earlier this month the government introduced its “My Feed, My Way” model, including proposed legislation to make algorithmic feeds opt-in/opt-out. So what about Contos’s government engagement and campaigns is so effective?

Clear messaging and evidence

If you’ve been to a Fifty Acres webinar on effective campaign communication, you will have heard about the importance in communicating a clear problem, impact and solution. The Fix Our Feeds campaign is a great example of this approach.

Its launch video explains how algorithms use “outrage”, “insecurity” and “desire” to keep people online, contributing to the spread of misogynistic content among young men. It then supports this with research showing how quickly users can be exposed to misogynistic content, alongside evidence from teachers, statistics on sexual violence and examples of extremist recruitment.

The proposed solution follows naturally from the problem the campaign illustrates. By showing how algorithms can drive exposure to harmful content and backing this up with evidence of the real-life impact, the case for giving people greater choice over what they see online becomes a clear and practical response.

Leveraging both traditional and social media

The campaign generated significant media attention within its first week, with coverage from ELLE, ABC and SBS, alongside support from the NSW Safety Commissioner and an appearance by Contos on triple j.

The concentration of coverage suggests media engagement was built into the launch strategy, creating momentum from the outset. This continued throughout the campaign, with National Press Club addresses reaching political and media audiences, while engagement with figures including Hannah Ferguson and Abbie Chatfield helped reach wider and younger audiences.

Building bipartisan internal and external support

The campaign also built support across the political spectrum. By focusing its messaging on evidence of the real-world impacts of social media algorithms, it created space for a broad coalition to support the campaign.

Support came from government MPs, Greens and independents including Allegra Spender, Sophie Scamps, Zali Steggall and Kate Chaney, as well as former Prime Ministers Julia Gillard and Malcolm Turnbull. Senator Sarah Hanson-Young also took the campaign’s calls into Parliament, introducing draft legislation around algorithmic choice.

In short

What makes the Fix Our Feeds campaign stand out is how these elements worked together to build effective advocacy: a clear message backed by real-world impact, coordinated media engagement and broad political and public support.

For organisations advocating for change, the broader lesson is that influence rarely comes from one meeting, media story or moment of attention. Effective advocacy builds momentum over time, making both the case for change and the pathway to action clear to decision-makers.