Australian Communications and Sports Minister Anika Wells has faced a backlash after suggesting that declining public trust in politicians is being driven mainly by social media and algorithms rather than by politicians' own conduct. Speaking to The Saturday Paper, Wells said a constituent had refused to believe her direct assurances during a recent meeting, which she attributed to the overwhelming influence of online misinformation on public institutions. Critics online argued this explanation overlooked more obvious causes, including Wells's own recent controversies and broader Labor Party conduct.

Wells was recently ordered to repay $10,116.11 after the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority found four breaches of travel rules involving family trips between 2022 and late 2025, which she called "honest mistakes". Further questions were raised over a taxpayer-funded New York trip, her use of Comcar, her husband's travel under family reunion entitlements, and her failure to disclose his lobbying role on her register of interests. Commentators also pointed to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's reversal on a 2025 election pledge not to alter negative gearing or capital gains tax, both of which were changed in the May budget, as evidence that eroding trust stems from government actions rather than online algorithms.