Russell Broadbent (Monash, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The misinformation bill is dead thanks to the collective tireless efforts of Australians and a few of their representatives in this parliament. From the moment it first appeared in 2023, I slammed this bill, writing to the Leader of the Opposition to express my strongest objections. The legislation was and always has been an offence to democracy. What made the government think they could be the purveyors of their truth? Just look at the COVID track record. We were told 15 days to slow the spread; instead we had two years of border closures and harsh lockdowns. We were told masks weren't effective. Then they were. Then you only had to wear them standing up and not sitting down—madness. We were also told that, if you take the vaccine, you won't get COVID and you won't infect other people—more lies. Emails show that Australian experts knew the shots didn't stop infection or transmission, yet the vaccines were mandated anyway.

The Australian Department of Home Affairs censored 4,000 social media posts under the guise of misinformation—posts that turned out to be completely and utterly true. Australia's COVID inquiry showed trust in government institutions has been decimated. Why? Because the government was the largest purveyor of misinformation over the past four years, and the people knew it. The people have spoken, and the mad bill is dead. Today we celebrate, but let's not rest. The social media bill is set to bring about digital ID by stealth. The government says, 'don't worry; it's voluntary', but the government will try to make life impossible without one. So they do at their peril; the people have spoken.