The Australian Electoral Commission will use the register to correct false claims and theories which have gained traction online, as it braces for an increase in misinformation as polling day approaches.

One expert has questioned the commission's proactive approach, saying the electoral body should avoid engaging with the misinformation and instead focus on promoting facts.

But the commission's boss says remaining silent could give credence to falsehoods circulating on the internet.

The new register will state the misinformation, the date it was detected online, which social platform it is spreading on and what action the commission has taken to counter it.

A statement correcting the false claim will be posted directly below the misinformation. The commission has stressed that it isn't the "arbiter of truth" on political communication, but will call out false claims about the running of Australian elections.

The register will operate in tandem with the commission's Twitter account, which has taken to directly calling out false claims with at times blunt and humorous responses.

"We're not messing around," Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers said as the register went live on Monday.

"The Australian vote belongs to all Australians and there is freedom of political communication.

"However, if you spread incorrect information about the processes we run - deliberately or otherwise - we will correct you."

The register already includes 16 pieces of misinformation in nine categories, including COVID-19 safety measures, political neutrality and voting technology. It will be updated in the lead up to and during the federal election campaign, which is due to start next month.

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Among the misinformation debunked on the register is that the commission has advance notice of the federal election date.

The new resource shows that when that false claim was detected online last August, the commission broadcast a pre-recorded video through its social media channels to counter the theory.

Another claim quashed on the register was that the commission planned to use Dominion voting machines, which were at the centre of 2020 US election conspiracy theories.

In an interview with The Canberra Times, Mr Rogers said claims Dominion's machines would be involved in Australia's election had become widespread, prompting the commission's intervention.

The new register makes clear that voting machines cannot be used under Australia's electoral laws.

"We think it [spreading of Dominion claim] is a deliberate attempt to undermine the status of the AEC and therefore throw in doubt the result," he said.

"It is so nutty as to defy belief. We feel that if we remain silent on those sorts of things, it's giving a lot of credence."

Simon Copland, a PhD candidate at Australian National University who specialises in far-right extremism and misinformation, said the 2020 US election result had shown how misinformation could undermine confidence in an electoral system and, in turn, the mandate of elected representatives.

Mr Copland said it was important for Australia to address the problem before it escalated.

But he was wary about the electoral commission's approach.

He said people peddling misinformation were likely to be opposed to official institutions such as the electoral commission and calling them out publicly could reinforce their views.

"The best way to counter them is to get the most positive messages out about the election process, without having to name the misinformation itself," he said.

"So instead of saying that here is a myth and here is a fact - just talk about the facts and just talk positively about the process itself."

Mr Rogers said experts were split on the best approach on tackling misinformation.

He said among the tactics used in recent weeks was responding to false claims with the same tweet, which mentioned it had spoken about the issue previously and linked to an FAQ and video explainer.

"That's our only response. We're not correcting the record - we're just pointing out the facts," he said.