James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Cyber Security) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you for that offer of a briefing from the AEC. I've had many such briefings in the past, and from them I know that it's not the AEC's responsibility to deal with content in an election campaign or a referendum campaign. It is, of course, content of speech and debate in the context of a referendum campaign which has the greatest risk of potential foreign interference. We have seen this in relation to recent reporting about foreign interference in the Canadian elections. We have seen this in other elections where content has been weaponised on social media platforms to drive disinformation—sometimes weaponised by foreign states to undermine social cohesion, undermine national unity and cause division. That is the risk in this debate, in this referendum, and it is exacerbated by your policy choice to not allow a formal 'yes' or 'no' case. Will you reconsider your opposition to a 'yes' or 'no' case?