Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and other high-profile Australian politicians have landed top billing on Google after the search giant offered them a free slot to spruik their policies at the top of Google search results.

Following a similar project as part of the US presidential campaign, Google approached major Australian politicians and parties offering them the chance to participate in Posts with Google, an "experimental new podium" which lets hand-picked users provide their own videos and other content to be displayed prominently when Australians search for them on Google.

Malcolm Turnbull and other prominent Australian politicians will be able to control more of the message from Google with the launch of a new feature. Credit:Andrew Meares

Starting today, searching for "Malcolm Turnbull" on Google Australia returns relevant news items and Turnbull's own website followed by a Twitter-style blue tick indicating that the Prime Minister's identity is confirmed by Google. Below this will be a carousel of thumbnails linking to videos, images, animated GIFs, articles and other content recently uploaded by the Prime Minister's campaign. Although Australian leaders have apparently not uploaded anything yet, searching for a figure in the US presidential race — for example Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders — shows the feature in action.

Uploaded material appears immediately and is not vetted by Google, although it must meet basic acceptable content guidelines. Material can be uploaded from handheld devices, allowing politicians to instantly publish policy announcements and sound bites.