State vs State: public sector socials edition
Which Australian state does the best public sector social media?
I decided to find out.
So I looked at public sector socials across all eight Australian states and territories:
NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania, ACT, Northern Territory.
Then I compared them across seven categories:
State government
Premier
Capital city council
Transport
Health
Police
Tourism
For each, I reviewed a decent chunk (scientific term) of recent content across their main presence on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok (and to a lesser degree LinkedIn and X) and rated them on five things:
Innovation - what things they try
People - who they showcase
Proactivity - why they post
Boldness - how far they push things
Interaction - what they do after posting
For each category, I’ve picked a winner, an honourable mention and, where something weird or wonderful caught my eye, a wildcard.
I’ve also given each category a Category Snapshot - a rough overall rating of how the group performed against those five measures:
⭐ Limited
⭐⭐ Solid
⭐⭐⭐ Strong
Then, at the end, we get to the important bit: which state wins?
Before we fight about the results ... a few caveats (little ones).
I’m looking at public-facing organic content, so I can’t see reach, dark ads, or actual business impact.
There are a few apples-and-oranges situations. I’ve used the closest equivalent where structures differ, including the main public-facing transport presence. And ACT is excluded from the capital-city council category because it has no equivalent council.
Not everyone uses every platform - and in some cases government rules prevent them from doing so - so that’s taken into account.
And yes, some of this is subjective. But too bad, it’s my report.
Let’s go…
State Government
Who I looked at
Each government’s main public-facing social presence across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and X, where applicable.
What I found
Stock-standard government social media fare, with one clearly better than the rest.
This was the most traditional, conservative and (honestly) dull category. So many tiles and graphics, very few instances of innovation or boldness, and the vast majority of posts were reactive, comms-driven announcements and updates.
Which is a shame, because a bit of humour, creativity or experimentation with format and delivery would go a long way. But I get the pressures, both internal and external, that exist.
Perhaps the only real bit of innovation is that South Australia has a weekly LinkedIn newsletter. Says a lot really.
Category snapshot (0-3 stars)
Innovation:
People: ⭐
Proactivity:
Boldness:
Interaction:
The winner
NSW Government 🏅
Although this is a slightly hollow victory given the competition. NSW was the only government (semi)consistently producing social media content that actually looks and feels like social media.
It was also the only one that wasn’t overwhelmingly ignorable.
Uses some interesting formats, a bit of internet culture, people, and even a bit of humour on occasion. A couple of nice posts leaning into the State of Origin rivalry, a slightly unhinged school holiday post, an inclusive Mother’s Day post, the World Cup red-card trend, plus some interesting graphs (which if pushed and developed could become their thing).
Honorable mention
ACT Government
Largely because its Instagram presence is WeAreCBR - essentially a Canberra lifestyle account, with lots of listicles and guides to local eating, drinking and things to do.
Which is kinda cheating, but also potentially quite a smart strategy.
Wildcard
South Australia’s emoji day post - which leans into local culture and nostalgia. Not into the AI of it, but the idea itself is fun.
Could the creative and timely graph become NSW government’s social media schtick?
State Premier
Who I looked at
The individual social channels of the current premiers and chief ministers of Australia’s six states and two self-governing territories. To wit: Chris Minns (NSW), Ben Carroll (Victoria), David Crisafulli (Queensland), Peter Malinauskas (South Australia), Roger Cook (Western Australia), Jeremy Rockliff (Tasmania), Andrew Barr (ACT) and Lia Finocchiaro (NT).
What I found
A tight contest, as a lot of the content is pretty same-same.
They’re also, for the most part, extremely comfortable and good on camera, which means there’s some great, engaging video across the board. They are politicians after all, and enjoy having their mugs on social.
But the best loosen up a little, too. They’re willing to be silly, poke fun at themselves, and show some personality beyond the regular smiling politician being jokey and blokey with punters (ahem, David Crisafulli).
There could definitely be more proactive content and interaction, though. It’s overwhelmingly reactive, and the comment sections are basically barren wastelands when it comes to even answering legitimate questions.
And for a bunch of people who deal with risk for a living, the content is strangely risk-free.
Category snapshot (0-3 stars)
Innovation: ⭐
People: ⭐⭐⭐
Proactivity:
Boldness:
Interaction:
The winner
Jeremy Rockliff, Premier of Tasmania 🏅
For leaning into the silliness. Whether it’s making drone noises, picking his fave lollies, or quality Neil the Seal content, Rocky seems like a good sport at the very least.
He’s happy playing along with skits, too, with a healthy dose of self-deprecation.
The apparent obsession with Mecca launching in Launceston is interesting - not one, not two, but four posts about it. Maybe a Tassie thing?
Overall, it’s not all serious, and that’s what makes it work.
Honorable mention
Chris Minns, Premier of NSW
Good variety of formats, some fun editing and audio, and regular tapping into trends. It breaks things up nicely so it’s not just his face all the time.
His Donald Trump impression in a housing video was good and unexpected.
Wildcard
Andrew Barr, Chief Minister of the ACT.
For his sweet cat photo recently. Umm, cool.
Jeremy Rockliff doesn’t take stuff too seriously (and clearly trusts his social media advisor).
State Capital Council
Who I looked at
The capital city councils of each state:
City of Sydney, Brisbane City Council, City of Adelaide, City of Melbourne, City of Perth, City of Hobart and City of Darwin.
ACT doesn’t have an equivalent council, so sat this round out.
What I found
A mixed bag.
There’s some excellent content, some encouraging green shoots, and then some pretty old-fashioned - and pretty average - classic council fodder.
Which is a little frustrating, when you think of just how much content and engagement opportunity councils have. They have people, places, popular services, events, infrastructure, history, weird local quirks. They have real, tangible, important issues and challenges that make a difference in residents’ lives. And an audience that actually shares a geographic identity (engagement gold!).
In short, councils have all the elements to actually create a sense of community online (remember when we were all trying to do that?), if they can move beyond what they’ve always posted and lean into the right things.
Category snapshot (0-3 stars)
Innovation: ⭐
People: ⭐⭐
Proactivity: ⭐
Boldness:
Interaction: ⭐
The winner
City of Sydney 🏅
Hard to beat, although there’s certainly competition to keep them on their toes at an individual post level.
But what ultimately puts Sydney ahead though is the combination of consistent value, proactivity, and innovation. They’re always trying stuff - loads of formats, and heaps of excellent video.
And there’s a proper tone and voice that comes through - that of a confident, warm and welcoming city that is getting on with its business.
There’s a strong focus on core services - libraries, pools, playgrounds - alongside explainers, project updates and the fun stuff (like Benny the Seal). And City of Sydney remains the OGs of place-based “just ‘cos” content.
People-wise, there are heaps of staff and recurring characters too, which matters. Familiar faces who are good on camera make even relatively mundane council subjects more interesting, while building a bit of parasocial trust along the way.
Top notch.
Honorable mention
City of Melbourne
Some lovely content, but a more reactive approach.
A lot of the content is driven by news, updates and events, which means the social team has less control over the output and fewer posts appear to originate with social itself.
That means less ‘fame’ content. There’s an opportunity there.
Wildcard
Brisbane City Council for the chicken video. And the non-chicken video. And its TikTok in general actually.
Having recurring, familiar ‘characters’ like this guy helps to seriously elevate City of Sydney’s pages.
State Transport
Who I looked at
This was a slightly tricky category because there’s much less uniformity between states.
Some have transport departments with pretty dry and dusty social content, so where possible I went for the main public-facing transport presence instead.
That meant Transport for NSW, Translink Queensland, Adelaide Metro, Transport Victoria, Transperth and Metro Tasmania.
I couldn’t find an ACT or NT equivalent that was really worth analysing.
What I found
A good category, this one.
Some solid organisations trying lots of different stuff - pretty focused on creatively cutting through around key messages of convenience, safety, and etiquette.
Lots of memes, skits, and POV content - plus some pretty terrifying near-miss footage.
Which is good, because the raw material is there. People interact with these services every single day, and they have big opinions about the experience, the systems, the politics and - especially - the other customers.
So there are massive opportunities to engage if organisations are willing to be a little bold, take a few risks and lean into the annoying, controversial or gross things people do that make public transport worse for everyone.
Category snapshot (0-3 stars)
Innovation: ⭐
People: ⭐⭐
Proactivity: ⭐⭐
Boldness: ⭐
Interaction: ⭐
The winner
Transport for NSW 🏅
No contest.
This is good, engaging, focused social media.
Trends, skits and humour are all top notch, often focused around a core pillar of passenger etiquette and, essentially, not being a dick on public transport.
But there’s more to it than jokes. There’s informative content explaining why stations and trains work the way they do. Drivers, technicians, and cleaners all get showcased.
Then there are the lovely testimonials from customers who’ve been helped by staff. People love this stuff, and because a lot of it comes through customers’ own words, it feels genuine and heartfelt rather than corporate.
Great work.
This is strategic social media that turns more dials than your average account.
Honorable mention
Transperth
Some fun stuff here.
The commuter-moments content is great, playing on those tiny shared experiences - the people who walk-maxx to make a train versus those who aren't too embarrassed to just run for the bus.
“Guess the line” is exactly the kind of slightly competitive IYKYK content regular users will appreciate.
And the “park the bus” post was very clever.
Wildcard
Who knows if it’s an official one, but there are just three posts, all from 2013. It’s like travelling back in a social media time machine. And also makes me really want to know what happened that made them stop.
The annoyances of commuter life feature a lot (and well) on Transport for NSW’s pages.
State Health
Who I looked at
The main state and territory government health presences.
There’s a split between those with TikTok - NSW, Queensland and South Australia - and those without. I also struggled to find much of a comparable social presence for Western Australia.
What I found
Another good, fun category, but with a real split.
Some teams are leaning hard into bold, fun, social-first content - and are public-sector leading in their delivery.
Others are still taking a much more straightforward, traditional health-department comms approach.
There’s lots of proactive content around evergreen health messages, and heaps of staff content, which is excellent for humanising the sector and showcasing its kindness and compassion alongside the expertise.
And there were two absolute standouts.
Category snapshot (0-3 stars)
Innovation: ⭐
People: ⭐⭐
Proactivity: ⭐⭐
Boldness: ⭐
Interaction: ⭐
The winner
Queensland Health 🏅
Hands down.
They just do everything so well - funny, on trend, tapping into internet culture - and have been doing it for ages now.
Some of the others have clearly caught up and can match Queensland at an individual-post level. But Queensland is still ahead when it comes to channel differentiation.
The platforms actually have their own flavour rather than simply getting the same content dumped across all of them.
TikTok has George the medical mannequin, Facebook has the iconic status updates, Instagram has mental health tips from Neil the Seal. AHAARGGGHHAHHHAA.
Really well done.
Honorable mention
Victorian Department of Health
Excellent, and at an individual content level, maybe as strong as Queensland Health.
There’s some lovely use of trends and internet culture across a big range of subjects.
And “E tu, bolognese” is genius.
In almost any other category, this could have been the winner.
Wildcard
SA Health, for its use of Rocky from Project Hail Mary.
Fist my bump indeed.
George is a very versatile character and prop for Queensland Health, and makes for great fame content.
State Police
Who I looked at
All eight state and territory police social presences. And there are a LOT of channels here: five of the eight have TikTok, on top of Facebook, Instagram and the rest.
What I found
A crowded category, with heaps of creative content.
Police have been leading government social for pretty much forever, so perhaps that’s not surprising.
There’s some bold stuff, and heaps of humour. Probably the funniest content, consistently, of any category I looked at.
They’re also huge on people, which makes sense given how important recruitment is for these organisations.
There’s less interaction once posts are live. Comments are often turned off or simply ignored - probably in part because of the sheer volume. Although there is some excellent interaction between the various police forces in each other’s comment sections. They also have a habit of all jumping on the same trends.
And seriously: why so many moustaches?
Category snapshot (0-3 stars)
Innovation: ⭐⭐
People: ⭐⭐⭐
Proactivity: ⭐
Boldness: ⭐
Interaction:
The winner
Queensland Police 🏅
Just edges it for me.
They do all the obvious stuff well - road safety, recruitment, puppies.
But more importantly, a lot of personality shines through in the interviews, games and trends.
We actually get to meet officers and discover they have opinions, personalities and points of view that make them different from each other - and more like us.
It feels natural and genuine.
There’s plenty of silliness, too. They don’t take themselves too seriously.
And leaning into the police/doughnut stereotype is pretty fun.
Honorable mention
NSW Police.
Plenty of people, nice proactive content around a focused set of key messages, humour and trends.
A very close-run thing.
Wildcard
The LeBron James trend. Everyone got in on the action.
So apparently LeBron is joining most Australian police forces…
State Tourism
Who I looked at
The main tourism social presence for all eight states and territories.
Some are called “Visit” or “Discover”, while others simply use the state itself, as with Queensland and Western Australia. Victoria is represented through Visit Melbourne.
What I found
Yikes.
The approaches are very similar. As in, you could throw a blanket over them.
The quality is incredibly high, as you’d expect, and the content is super proactive because it has to be (you can’t sit around waiting for announcements when there are hotels, beaches, restaurants and experiences to market).
But curiously, my Boldness column is basically a sea of zeroes.
There are hardly any risks being taken, beyond the odd slightly cheeky swimsuit shot of someone descending into an infinity pool.
Everything feels curated to death.
Even the creator and influencer content starts looking the same - same angles, edits, and come-with-me POV.
Where is the personality? And why is nobody funny???!!!
Rant over.
Honestly, it’s all pretty good - NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania were all close. And this is also the category where my social-media judgement probably matters least: the business outcomes - website visits, bookings, interest and ultimately tourism - are what really matter.
Category snapshot (0-3 stars)
Innovation: ⭐
People: ⭐⭐
Proactivity: ⭐⭐⭐
Boldness:
Interaction: ⭐
The winner
Western Australia 🏅
For doing something a little different - and making me feel something a little deeper about the place. Although this was such a close category that picking a winner probably comes down to taste more than elsewhere.
But WA definitely has a little bit of an edge about it, which perhaps reflects the state and its inhabitants. There’s a bit more lo-fi, natural content, and a bit less of the super-polished, hyper-curated stuff.
And more genuinely quirky, unplanned moments, too - like an emu walking along a beach while a dolphin casually cruises past, or a horse walking along a beach while a dolphin casually cruises past.
WA’s TikTok is also easily the best of the bunch. It has all the usual beautiful destination content, but throws in fun staff videos, tiny-mic interviews, and skits.
That brings a completely different vibe and a much-needed human element to the mix, rather than just perfect people in perfect places.
Honorable mention
South Australia.
Particularly for all the Farina Bakery content - wow.
It’s deeper storytelling, taking the time to introduce us to people and characters rather than fast-editing everything into a blur of inspiration.
The Q&A content is great, too.
Wildcard
Northern Territory, for its TERRIFYING video explaining in detail how you’d die at the jaws of a crocodile. So good!
But also its great “Territory Style” bush-tucker recipes, cooking goose, roo and barramundi outdoors. A fun concept, well executed.
The team at Western Australia often appear in TikToks, and honestly it seems like a hoot to work there.
So, which state wins?
Seven categories down, and while there were standout accounts all over Australia, one state was consistently at or near the top.
NSW takes the crown 👑
Three category wins + two more honourable mentions + standout accounts across very different parts of government.
Well done Blues.
What I learned
Beyond the winners and losers, a few things really stood out from looking at all this content.
1. Government social media is still way too reactive.
So much comms-based news and updates, ugh. Social media can and should be so much more than this. The strongest accounts are creating things because they're interesting, useful or entertaining.
2. People beat polish.
Time and time again, the best content involves actual humans - police officers, health staff, transport workers, politicians being silly, Farina Bakery characters.
3. Boldness is the missing ingredient.
Across the entire exercise, organisations are getting better at video, trends, people and platform-native formats. But relatively few are genuinely prepared to do something unexpected or risky, and that feels like the biggest opportunity.
That’s my take…
If you think I’ve got something horribly wrong or missed an account I absolutely need to see, let me know.
And if this kind of analysis would be useful for your organisation, this is what I do.
I analyse public sector social media, identify what’s working (and what isn’t), and help teams build clearer strategies for creating content that earns attention, shows value, and builds trust.
That might mean a channel review, a strategy reset, benchmarking against your peers, or working with your team to figure out what better could actually look like.
If your socials could use a fresh set of eyes, get in touch for an audit or strategic review.
What do you reckon? Comment below or email me at seamus@seamus.nz