Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

The relationship among responsible international partners around the world in combatting disinformation, particularly during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, is a very important one. Just this week we will be co-sponsoring an event at the United Nations in New York on misinformation, with partners such as Latvia. Latvia led a joint statement in June, which we signed with 131 other countries. It warned that COVID-19 had 'created conditions that enabled the spread of disinformation, fake news and doctored videos'—and, in this case, I would say photographs—'to foment violence to divide communities'. We committed in that statement to fighting the so-called infodemic. I can assure you, Mr President, and others in this chamber that Australia will resist and counter efforts of disinformation. We will do so through facts and transparency underpinned by liberal democratic values that we will continue to promote at home and abroad.