Gen Z social media creators say ‘not here to replace journalists’ after criticism Labor invited them to budget lockup

Some creators had flights, hotels and other travel expenses to Canberra covered by the Labor party, according to people invited

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Social media content creators invited to cover the Labor government’s budget have hit back at “dismissive” comments by politicians and media organisations at their inclusion in the lockup, saying new media platforms have a role to play in explaining politics and economics to wider audiences.

Around a dozen content creators – many with more than 100,000 followers, most with pages catering to financial advice or young people – were invited by Labor to travel to Canberra, join the budget lockup and interview senior ministers, including Anthony Albanese, Jim Chalmers, Katy Gallagher and Tanya Plibersek. The Australian Labor Party (ALP) organisation covered flights, hotels and other travel expenses for some of the creators, several of those invited told Guardian Australia.

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