Fatima Payman (WA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Misinformation and disinformation are dangerous. In a time when information floods in with such velocity and volume that every news report feels suspicious, particularly during unfolding events, it can be difficult to pause and consider who is delivering the information and what agenda might be driving it. This bill, however, was not the answer. Voluntary programs, such as X's—formerly Twitter's—community notes, are often effective in addressing misinformation and disinformation. Through community notes, members of the community with the time and knowledge can assess the veracity and origin of a particular post and then present their view to the rest of the community, who may not have the time or knowledge. The risk of forcing platforms to crack down on suspected misinformation and disinformation could lead to these ideas moving underground, where no regulation or oversight from the wider community creates the hazard of this misinformation and disinformation going offline and having real-world effects. The public response to this bill has been phenomenal. We saw recent submissions during the short—very short—consultation period the government had allocated to this bill from groups like the Victorian Bar Association, the Australian Electoral Commission and even the Australian Human Rights Commission, who outlined their grave concerns with the bill.

Outside of the government, there were almost no supporters of the bill as it was drafted. While there are some who supported the bill, this support was always qualified with various requests for amendments. Like the Help to Buy Bill and the social media ban, the government has identified a problem but proposed the wrong solution. It was a bill that the government failed to adequately consult on, but they rightfully, after much handwringing and begging, abandoned it.