The Australian Electoral Commission takes on Twitter

"I'm happy with about 90 per cent of what occurs and 10 per cent I'm probably thinking, 'I probably would've preferred that you didn't do that.' But that's part of the beauty of it I think," he said.

The Australian Electoral Commission's increasingly popular Twitter account dishes out facts and humour in a seemingly endless battle with false information and wild conspiracies.

In the lead-up to the federal election this year, the young and diverse team of six has pumped out quick-witted responses to the bizarre and strange ideas that spread about elections. Their tweets are sassy and don't sound like a typical government agency.

It marks a significant departure from how most Australian Public Service agencies manage their social media presence.

"I know I'm taking a personal risk with this. It's a huge risk and part of that was getting the right people in the team to be able to do it in a good way," Mr Rogers said.

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The key online strategy has been "thick humour, fact and wry irony". The team's shared trait is being social media users who understand how to connect with a range of people, Mr Rogers said.

Mr Rogers said the decision not to see the tweets before they go online was difficult for him early on.

He said the private sector often takes that approach but it was usual for the public sector to clear posts well before they went public.

"I think part of the deal with social media is being agile and swift, otherwise the moment passes," he said.

A strong relationship between the social media team and the executive has been a priority for Mr Rogers. He spends a lot of time thinking about their mental health and wellbeing due to regular online abuse they receive while remaining conscious they are using his voice.

The account's activity has led to AEC trending on Twitter as they stay on track with current events, including misinformation being spread last month by the Convoy to Canberra.

"The fact that they're supported and loved by the executive I think is helping a lot. Also keeping their spirits buoyant so they're not thinking that tomorrow they're going to be sacked because someone's lodged a complaint about something."

Building relationships with major platforms like Twitter, Facebook and TikTok has been another part of the AEC's online strategy.

Staff visited Silicon Valley in 2018 and 2019 and even travelled to China in May 2019 to meet with Tencent, the holding company of WeChat and TikTok.

Mr Rogers described the meeting with Tencent as "something out of a spy novel" as staff had 12 hours' notice to meet in China for discussions about taking down false information for the election.

"There was a big midnight flip over to Shenzhen which is just over the border from Hong Kong and they were fantastic," he said.

The initiative has meant the relationship with social media companies is cohesive, Mr Rogers said, and platforms have usually been quick and compliant in taking down false pieces of information.

"It's not just what you see with our team tweeting, as excellent as that is, but it's also the relationship building with those social media companies," he said.

The dynamic between social media and the public service has long been a contentious struggle.

Former public affairs officer for the then-immigration department Michaela Banerji was sacked in 2013 for writing a series of tweets against Australia's treatment of asylum seekers even though she did not reveal her name or her job to readers.

This turned into a six year battle, the High Court finding in August 2019 the government's limits on free speech in the public service were constitutional.

The example set a precedent for public servants to be punished if they publish political views. One regular criticism of the ruling is that public servants would not be punished for publishing a positive stance on government policy.

The Public Service Commission has since taken steps to address these issues in September 2020, releasing new guidelines that encourage employees to weigh up potential risks and balance their obligations against free speech.

Mr Rogers said he has been receiving global interest about the team's online presence, including the electoral commissioner of Canada, along with other departments across the public service.

"It's kind of world leading and we think we're kicking a lot of goals with this," he said

"We are the organisation that's responsible for defending democracy in Australia, and if we don't no one will.

"I think it is absolutely unique in the public sector in Australia. I can't think of another agency, either state or federal, that's doing the sort of stuff that we're doing."

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