Public contest through the popular media: the mining industry's advertising war against the Australian Labor Government.

This article explores the 'mining tax ad war of 2010', which contributed to the removal of a first-term Labor prime minister and shaped Australia's Minerals Resource Rent Tax. In particular, it examines the uses, ethics and consequences of advocacy advertising, which is an under-explored aspect of communication power. The article identifies advocacy advertising as an increasingly prevalent technique used by corporations and lobby groups to influence public policy in Australia. In conclusion, the article considers the regulatory environment that makes such campaigns possible and areas of future research that might help to safeguard Australia's democratic practices