Kylea Tink (North Sydney, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I just wanted to rise to speak on the Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024 at this point in time, and I want to start by thanking both the minister and her team, and the government more broadly, for their genuine engagement on this, because I do think that it is very clear that the government has genuinely listened to the criticism it received from its first draft in 2023.

I want to reassure Australians that this piece of legislation includes a number of safeguards and improvements. It includes a comprehensive impact analysis that has been undertaken. The exemptions for government content have been removed. The enforceable misinformation codes and standards will be disallowable by this parliament. Digital platforms will continue to be responsible for the content they host and promote. What's really important to call out in a campaign of disinformation around this legislation is that neither the government nor ACMA will be able to engage directly with a content producer nor demand that content be removed. The government has amended the bill to also stipulate that the review would be undertaken by an independent third party, and I thank the minister for her engagement on this.

I want to specifically talk about the human rights implications of this piece of legislation as somebody who has fought incredibly hard for human rights protections in this country since I came to parliament. While there have been valid concerns about potential implications for freedom of expression, I believe that, to the extent that there is a restriction on that freedom of expression, it's justifiable and proportionate. In fact, this legislation actually protects a number of human rights, including the right to participate in public affairs, the right to vote and be elected, the right to security of person and the right to protect against vilification and discrimination.

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