In 2023 we all campaigned against the Misinformation/Disinformation Bill 2023 and the government was overwhelmed with an unprecedented level of submissions condemning their plans.
So they went quiet.
All of a sudden the Bill has resurfaced. It has been introduced into the lower house of federal parliament and sent to a committee for review. They have given a mere seven days for the public to react and put in a submission. They want to close off the feedback loop faster than most organisations can effectively get a message out and engage their supporters. They want to be able to say "see, barely any objections, nobody had a problem with it this time". This is a taste of their censorship plans.
It's a M.A.D. bit of censorship legislation
This is the very Orwellian control mechanism that history warns about. Someone else gets to decide what is truth, regardless of whether it really is or not, and dissenters will be punished at the whim of the government and your new unelected overlords.
The Bill's definition of "misinformation" etc contains general wording with no real checks and balances, just the way a totalitarian dictatorship would want it.
The federal coalition (Liberals and Nationals) have formally condemned it and will oppose. They say it's “extremely broad” and would capture many things said by Australians every day.
Even the Victorian CHO from the lockdown era, Dr Nick Coatesworth, has warned about it - so you know it's really bad.
You MUST lodge a submission. Please do it right now to beat the 30th September 2024 deadline.
The government must be informed that they can't get away with this this time, just like they couldn't get away with it last time. For a few minutes of your time you can potentially keep your freedom.
You can go to the committee's website for the bill and prepare a submission using the guide here. We understand this may be a bit daunting to navigate.
There is another simpler option of adding yourself to the Aligned Council of Australia's form letter at this page.
Submissions close at the end of Monday 30 September 2024.
Thank you for your help, and please also plan a visit to your federal MP or state Senator to share your concerns with them. They need to hear from you.