Zoe McKenzie (Flinders, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the motion moved by my friend the member for Fisher regarding the current environment of geopolitical instability that we face and the fundamental failure of this Albanese government to comprehend, grasp and act in necessary ways to keep Australians safe.

The member for Fisher and I both serve on the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and National Security and also the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society. That is no coincidence because, as we know, social media has become one of the principal vectors for both foreign interference from abroad and radicalisation and extremism within our own borders.

Exactly a year ago this month, a significant report was released by the Australian Senate under the stewardship of another great coalition contributor to the national security debate, Senator James Paterson, now shadow minister for home affairs. That report provided a comprehensive analysis of the tactics used by foreign interests to disturb the Australian democracy via disinformation campaigns, harassment of our diaspora communities and gathering intelligence on individuals. The report identified a number of responsibilities of the social media platforms which operate in Australia, including measures to increase transparency, to label state affiliated media and posting, and to disclose government directions regarding content.

The report suggested a number of possible and responsible government actions, including banning some high-risk apps on government devices, establishing a national security technology office and supporting independent research to counter interference. It also called on civil society to invest in public education, to lift our level of digital literacy and to support diaspora communities to build resilience against foreign interference.

The report did not pull its punches, stating quite clearly that foreign interference and espionage threaten the things that we value most about our country: our social cohesion, our trusted democracy and our freedoms. It recognised the role of social media as a potential highway for ill-intentioned content, citing social media itself is not the threat, but it is a vector for foreign interference. It was clear about the contemporary risk we all face, warning us that authoritarian regimes like China and Russia are deploying new methods for cyber enabled disinformation activities as part of a broader, integrated strategic campaign to advance their own national interests at Australia's expense.

Finally, the report recognised the particular vulnerability of our diaspora communities. Many people living in Australia are not free of the long hand of their repressive former governments, which are reaching across the seas to continue to engage in acts of intimidation, harassment and violence, including through social media.

The use of social media as a method of radicalisation and extremism is of equal concern, particularly for our domestic intelligence and national security bodies. As recently as last week the director-general of ASIO, in an ABC interview, indicated that these concerns have in no way diminished in the last year. In discussion with David Speers, Mike Burgess AM said:

The trouble with the internet is it's the greatest incubator of violent extremism and social media and the downside is the greatest accelerator of violent extremism.

With the algorithms companies use to direct content, a youth only has to search something once, and then, in their search feed, they get plenty of violent extremism or extremism material, which is unhelpful and hurtful for their young, forming brains.

Last week my colleagues on the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society had the benefit of a briefing from Audrey Tang, the former digital minister of Taiwan, regarding measures that country has taken to fight foreign interference and safeguard democracy. Taiwan has one of the most digitally enabled populations and governments, but that comes with obvious risks, as one of the most targeted for disinformation from foreign governments.

Last year, former Taiwanese President Tsai described the dual challenge faced by this most determined democracy:

We let the public have knowledge and tools that refute and report false or misleading information, and maintain a cautious balance between maintaining information freely and refusing information manipulation.

In her comments to the social media committee last week, the former digital minister informed us that, even though Taiwan has the second-highest religious diversity in the world, it now consistently ranks as one of the least polarised countries. Taiwan looks beyond what is said online to where it comes from, data transparency of platforms and the way an algorithm prioritises information. Importantly, Taiwan teaches schoolchildren not only how to consume media but how to contribute to media and online discourse. We have much to learn from the bold approaches of others.

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