A 2013 poll conducted by Essential Research found that the Telegraph was Australia's least-trusted major newspaper, with 49% of respondents citing "a lot of" or "some" trust in the paper.

[6] Lynch had failed in an attempt to become a politician and was looking to start his own paper to reflect the opinion of the common working man.

The first page of the first edition outlined Lynch's vision for his paper, saying: "We wish to make this journal a reliable exponent of public opinion, which we think is hardly represented in the existing press.

In 1929, it was taken over by wealthy tobacco manufacturer Sir Hugh Denison, the founder of the Sydney newspaper The Sun.

From 1936 until its sale to Rupert Murdoch's News Limited in 1972, the Telegraph was owned by Sir Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press.

[12] Packer sold the Daily Telegraph to Rupert Murdoch's company News Limited in 1972 for $15 million.

A 2013 front-page headline said of the second Rudd Government "Finally, you now have the chance to kick this mob out" and "Australia Needs Tony".

At the 2010 Australian federal election the newspaper endorsed the Coalition and Tony Abbott.

[17] During both the 2016 and 2019 Australian federal elections, the Daily Telegraph strongly endorsed prime ministers Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison respectively, both of the Liberal Party, while attacking then-opposition leader Bill Shorten of the Australian Labor Party.

Readership data from Enhanced Media Metrics Australia October 2018 report shows that the Daily Telegraph has total monthly readership of 4,500,000 people via print and digital, compared to 7,429,000 people for its primary competitor, the Sydney Morning Herald.