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Jacob's avatar

I have put the senators' email addresses below:

Senator.Payman@aph.gov.au

Senator.David.Pocock@aph.gov.au

senator.van@aph.gov.au

senator.thorpe@aph.gov.au

senator.tyrrell@aph.gov.au

senator.lambie@aph.gov.au

For those who want to copy what I wrote to each of them, I'll put it in quotes below:

"Dear Senator xx,

I write to you expressing my grave concerns about the Government’s Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024.

This Bill is a direct attack on the right of Australians to express their views and share information on the internet. This Bill is designed to force social media companies to control content on their platforms if it is deemed, by the government’s representatives, to be “misinformation” or “disinformation”.

The government and corporate media are exempt from these same restrictions.

Can you imagine anything more arrogant?

A government, which is supposed to represent the people, is telling us that they and the media are above being wrong (despite endless evidence to the contrary), and must “protect” us ignorant plebs from wrong information.

Are we really going to let the government decide what is correct information?

What is the risk analysis here?

On one side, we have the risk that, gasp, incorrect information may sometimes be posted on the internet, and Australians will have to, oh the horror, decide for themselves what information to accept and not accept.

On the other side, we are being asked to trust a government body to correctly and impartially decide what is mis and disinformation.

The government is not the arbiter of truth. Hundreds of years of English/Australian common law and American constitutional law have long respected and appreciated the need to not only allow, but encourage freedom of speech and expression. This is how we decide on the best path forward in a free society.

This Bill should not be passed in any way, shape or form.

The Minister’s second reading speech tellingly said, in summary:

“Through this bill, the Australian government is acting to prevent the spread of mis- and disinformation and the damage it causes to Australian democracy and public safety. Australians clearly expect the government to act to address this growing problem and this is what the Albanese government is doing.

The bill positions Australia to be at the forefront of tackling this growing international problem—one which threatens to undermine our civic discourse and democratic engagement and participation. This bill ensures that digital platforms are accountable for combatting mis- and disinformation on their services.

The top priority of the government is to keep its citizens safe. Doing nothing to protect Australians from seriously harmful mis- and disinformation online is simply not an option.”

The minister does not deign to specify what damage mis and disinformation has caused damage to Australian democracy and public safety. She does not specific how this is a “growing problem”. She says we are at the forefront of this kind of control. If we are spearheading control of online speech, then that is to our shame!

Her finishing statement is of utmost concern: that the real reason for this Bill is for the government to keep “its” citizens “safe”. In other words, its openly stated goal is to protect citizens from, presumably, each other. Protect us from what? Whatever information the government regulator deems to be wrong, and by its wrongness, somehow harmful. It assumes we are too stupid to discern for ourselves what is true or false.

The unstated goal is even more disturbing: that the government wants to control information that challenges its narrative, and therefore its official version of the truth.

Please do not pass this Bill. Please side with the Australian people and prove your belief that we must protect freedom of speech, that it is the lifeblood of any free society. We must not let an arrogant government declare itself the arbiter of truth.

Trustingly and warmly,"

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Elizabeth Hart's avatar

According to an ABC report, Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland said for something to be deemed misinformation and disinformation under the laws, it would have to both be “seriously harmful and verifiably false”.

Michelle Rowland cites as an example “content urging people to not get government-approved vaccines”.

The clear implication here is that “government-approved vaccines” are beyond reproach.

It seems the Australian Government’s Mis/Disinformation Bill seeks to trap people into compliance with "government-approved vaccines" without question, e.g. the COVID-19 vaccine products which have been imposed under coercion and mandates.

Will the Mis/Disinformation Bill result in social media platforms censoring any discussion questioning the taxpayer-funded “government-approved vaccines”?

Who drafted this terrible Bill which plans to censor the people’s open discussion of taxpayer-funded public health policy?

Also see my article: "...urging people to not get government approved vaccines" would be "deemed misinformation and disinformation under the laws" https://elizabethhart.substack.com/p/urging-people-to-not-get-government

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