An Australian censorship bill went up in smoke over the weekend after it received abysmal support from the Australian Senate.
The Australian government announced Sunday that it had withdrawn a bill that would have fined tech platforms up to 5 percent their of global revenue if they allowed the spread of alleged “misinformation” online, Reuters reported. Opposition Spokesman and member of Parliament David Coleman said in a statement that “This bill would have had the effect of suppressing the free speech of everyday Australians, as platforms would have censored online content to avoid the threat of big fines.” He went so far as to say that the bill “betrayed our democracy.”
Opposition leader Peter Dutton also highlighted the fact that the failed legislation aimed “to make government and unelected bureaucrats the arbiters of truth."
Reuters noted that the bill was part of a “wide-ranging regulatory crackdown” in response to
Government leaders’ complaints that foreign tech giants were “overriding” Australia’s sovereignty. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland touted the anti-speech legislation, even asserting it would have “ushered in an unprecedented level of transparency” and halted “the spread of harmful misinformation and disinformation online.” However, even Rowland had to admit that “Based on public statements and engagements with Senators, it is clear that there is no pathway to legislate this proposal through the Senate.”
Free speech advocates praised the news. Twitter Files journalist Michael Shellenberger posted on X, “Free Speech Victory in Australia! It's official: the [Prime Minister Albanese] censorship bill is dead. Congratulations to Aus free speech lovers and warriors!” In another X post, Mario Nawfal, host of “The Round Table Show,” touted the bill’s demise and quoted X owner Elon Musk, who called the legislation “fascist.”
Meanwhile, Australian Sen. Matt Canavan rejoiced in the free speech win. “A TOTAL FREE SPEECH VICTORY in the Senate today. Not a single Senator supported the Government's anti-democratic misinformation bill. The MAD* bill is dead!” He added, “The defeat was so momentous that nothing like this bill should ever be brought forward before the Australian people. Thank you again to everyone who took up the fight and delivered this beautiful victory.”
*MAD is an acronym for misinformation and disinformation.
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