Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Finance (Senator Birmingham) to a question without notice she asked today relating to the propagation of misinformation concerning COVID-19.

I rise to take note of the answers given to me from Senator Birmingham representing the Prime Minister. These questions were in relation to what the government is doing and what the Prime Minister is doing to stamp out misinformation and lies, COVID lies, that are being spread by some members of his own team. We heard only a few days ago that YouTube has taken the extraordinary step of banning Sky News for a week because, in its view, Sky News breached its standards. It was up to YouTube to insist that facts and truth need to be implemented in Sky News' broadcast rather than the lies, myths and conspiracy theories that are promoted by a number of members who continue to appear on Sky News and who continue to be promoted on that platform.

Here is the question: If this information is dangerous enough to be stopped on the internet then surely it's too dangerous to be on our television screens? We know that Sky News broadcasts on its subscription service but also on free-to-air television as well. So what is the government doing to step in and make sure that this dangerous misinformation, this undermining of our health response to COVID-19—putting people's lives at risk—is not getting a flogging on television?

Where is our media regulator in all of this? The government's own media regulator is sitting on its hands doing nothing about it. And you wonder why. Well, they're taking their lead from the very top, the Prime Minister who's doing nothing to sanction and to call out and to pull into line members on his own bench who have actively been undermining the work of doctors, of nurses, of our emergency service workers, of our essential workers, of the people who day in day out are dealing with the realities of COVID spreading across this nation once again.

As millions of Australians today are in lockdown and millions more living with restrictions—we've got a WA premier who's just called a snap press conference over in the west; we're all holding our breath hoping that that's not bad news, but we all know it probably will be—this country is in a COVID crisis, and, rather than holding whack jobs to account on his own side, the Prime Minister continues to turn a cheek. We've got George Christensen purporting and promoting and pushing COVID lies, undermining the good work of our health officials, undermining any success of the vaccine rollout, and we've got government senators like Senator Rennick doing the same thing.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Please stop the clock. Senator Hanson-Young, I'm going to ask you to withdraw the word that shouldn't be uttered here, specifically when it refers to a member or a senator, and that is the word 'lie'.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Spreading COVID lies—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hanson-Young, we have traditionally adopted a very strict term on the use of the word 'lies'. It is a very slippery slope. I'm going to ask you to withdraw that. There are other words that can be used to convey the same meaning that we have traditionally not had such a strict approach to.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I will withdraw the word 'lie'.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Hanson-Young.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

However, the point I am making is that conspiracy theories, made-up facts and self-appointed experts—COVID terrorists almost—are undermining the government's own job from within, sabotaging the good work of our health experts. Billions of dollars has been spent out of the government coffers in the last 12 months. Hundreds of billions of dollars has been spent to stop the spread of this virus and to help our community stay safe, and rather than helping we've got members of Morrison's own team undermining and sabotaging.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hanson-Young, again, I ask people to maintain a level of debate by referring to people by their titles or their names. We don't refer to people simply by their surname in this place.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Morrison is sitting on his hands while members of his own team are running around sabotaging this country's health response, putting at risk the safety of every single Australian. He needs to be a leader and call them out.

Question agreed to.