“The Albanese Labor Government has introduced a new Bill to the Federal Parliament that gives the government and its bureaucrats extraordinary powers to regulate speech and decide what is classed as misinformation,” Member for Page Kevin Hogan said last week.
Mr Hogan gave a passionate speech in Parliament recently, strongly opposing the legislation, describing it as an attack on free speech.
“This dangerous bill has no place in Australia,” Mr Hogan said.
“There is a famous quote that says, ‘I disagree with everything you say, but every day will defend your right to say it.’ That is not what Labor think.”
The Bill would stifle free speech, because the digital platforms would censor a large amount of online content in order to avoid the risk of large fines. The Government would impose those fines if it decided that the digital companies had not removed enough of what they consider to be ‘misinformation’.
Under Labor’s plan, something can be ‘misinformation’ even if it is a person’s honestly held opinion. The statement doesn’t have to be malicious or designed to deceive. Exemptions apply to academics, scientists and artists. But the views of everyday Australians are captured under the Government’s planned legislation and receive no such exemptions.
“What is one person’s misinformation is another person’s opinion. Imagine if this was in place during the Voice debate, when Labor labelled any view it didn’t like or agree with as ‘misinformation’,” Mr Hogan said.
“This also allows the Communications Minister to personally order investigations and hearings into what the Government decides is ‘misinformation’. These are extraordinary powers which would be open to abuse.”
“We have seen the Bill opposed by the Victorian Bar Association, the NSW Solicitor-General, Human Rights Commission, and the Queensland Council for Civil Liberties.”
“Leading constitutional lawyer Anne Twomey has warned that serious problems remain with the Albanese Government’s Misinformation Bill – and concluded that ‘it could all go very wrong.’”
“It’s hard to believe that a government in any democracy would put this forward. This bill betrays our democracy. It incentivises censorship. It makes the government the ultimate arbiter of truth. It has no place in our nation.”
“All that stands in the path of the Misinformation Bill becoming law now is a vote in the Senate, expected in the final sitting week of the year,” said Mr Hogan.
This article appeared in the Clarence Valley Independent, 20 November 2024.
See: Misinformation Bill.
