Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The introduction of new misinformation and disinformation legislation is just a renewed attack on freedom of speech in Australia. Labor has never understood freedom of speech or how it works, and people always fear what they don't understand. That's why Labor wants to shut down freedom of speech. That's why Labor wants to give itself the power to decide what is misinformation and disinformation and use this power to silence honest debate and honest criticism.

Labor is appalled at the very notion that Australians still have the right to say things that Labor doesn't agree with. Labor doesn't trust the Australian people to sort out truth from fiction for themselves. With this bill, Labor shows its contempt for the intelligence of the Australian people. Labor will use this power to silence dissent. If you speak the truth that gender ideology is contrived nonsense, that climate change is a scam or that COVID-19 vaccines are harmful, Labor will have the power to silence you.

This bill is all the evidence this country needs to have a good hard look at enshrining the right to free speech in the Constitution. One Nation tried to move an inquiry to kickstart this process. Labor opposed it, along with those other staunch opponents of free speech in Australia—the Greens. When are Australians going to wake up and understand these parties for what they are? They despise democracy and the principles which underpin its foundations. There is no democracy in Australia without freedom of speech, its most important principle.

One Nation will oppose this legislation. We will always fight to protect true freedom of speech in our continual efforts to defend Australian democracy, and I want the people to fully understand this: they have their rights. They have a right to have an opinion and everyone has the right to actually have a say. Freedom of speech needs to be protected, and that's what we will fight for.