A parliamentary committee has called for all election material including text messages to be authorised after Labor's so-called Mediscare campaign.
During the 2016 federal election campaign, Labor and unions produced election material resembling Medicare cards and ran an election day campaign involving mobile text messages which appeared to come from the health agency.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has described the campaign as "fraudulent" and unmatched in its deceit, but a federal police investigation did not find any breach of the law.
Labor told the joint standing committee on electoral matters inquiry it complied with all authorisation requirements, but admitted the rules had become confusing and difficult to administer, and had not kept pace with technological change.
Inquiry chairwoman Liberal senator Linda Reynolds said authorisations - statements that identify the person or organisation responsible for the advertisement or electoral material - should be compulsory on all forms of election communication.
"Our electoral laws have not kept pace with technological change and the new ways of communicating with voters that this provides, thereby creating loopholes capable of exploitation," she said.
Voters needed to be reassured anyone who puts out election material is accountable and they are aware of the context when they consider the messages.
The committee report recommended:
* electoral laws are amended to ensure parties and other participants should be held to account and be responsible for their political statements, the rules apply to all forms of communication and those who authorise electoral materials should be identifiable and traceable.
* a further inquiry be held in 2017 regarding impersonating a commonwealth officer and commonwealth entity.
* consistency across all laws in relation to authorisation of electoral advertising.
* any changes to the law should not interfere with the purpose of the communication, which is to communicate with electors.
The committee will report on foreign political donations in March 2017.
Senator Reynolds said anonymity provided a shield to make claims people ordinarily would not have made, had their name been attached.
"It also makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the relevant authorities to track them down to take any legal action," she told AAP.
"Conversely, when voters know who the message is from, they are better able to assess its veracity and weigh it against other campaign messages from other participants."
While it was a criminal offence to impersonate a commonwealth official, it was not an offence to impersonate a commonwealth entity such as Medicare, Senator Reynolds said
"The committee considers that impersonating or purporting to act on behalf of both a commonwealth officer or an entity is unacceptable and that steps must be taken to ensure neither happens again," she said.
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