Albanese’s Misinformation Bill attacks our Freedom of Speech
George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel 1984 is nearing reality in Australia with the Albanese government’s Misinformation Bill being the first step.
For those of you who haven’t read it, Orwell painted a grim picture of how life on our planet might become if totalitarian rulers were allowed to deprive their citizens of all freedoms in order to maintain control.
We are, of course, witnessing this already in many countries including North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan and China.
Interestingly, the novel has recently become a bestseller in Russia presumably because Russians can see the direction in which their country is heading under Putin.
Orwell’s book was first published in 1949, so he was looking well into the future. He had witnessed how evil regimes like Nazism and Communism impacted on people’s lives and from that he predicted how it might become even worse and more widespread under totalitarian regimes.
Albanese’s proposed Misinformation Bill is the first step in this Orwellian direction. It is aimed at restricting freedom of speech so that only the government’s views are heard.
It would do this – in the first instance – by issuing huge fines to tech companies if the Government thinks they are not doing enough to reduce misinformation online.
To avoid these fines, tech companies would quite understandably remove anything they think might contravene this edict.
And there’s going to be a lot of deleting because the Bill, if enacted, would capture thousands of statements made by ordinary Australians every day.
Under the Government’s Bill, something can be ‘misinformation’ even if the person concerned holds that view and believes it is true.
To be ‘misinformation’, all that’s required is that the statement be considered “misleading” and capable of contributing to “serious harm”.
Who decides what is misinformation?
As you’d expect – it’s the government via its regulator ACMA. While the tech companies decide what content needs to be taken down, the Government ultimately decides whether the tech companies are deleting enough.
Incredibly, the Albanese Government has excluded itself from the proposed law. Under the Bill, anything the Government authorises will be not be considered misinformation.
But if you criticise the Government, that would be misinformation.
Can you believe this nonsense?
It gets worse. Government officials would have the power to require any of us to appear before them to answer questions if we are accused of posting misinformation.
And if you are called before them but don’t attend, you could be fined $8,000 per day!
This is how the Spanish Inquisition operated: Accuse – Judge – Punish !
This proposed Bill is outrageous. Our basic democratic right to free speech is clearly under attack from the Albanese Government and we need to stand up against it, as we did with the Voice referendum.
Despite heavy criticism – including from the Human Rights Commission and other similar bodies – Albanese is intent on going ahead, just like he did with the Voice referendum even when he knew it was clearly going to crash.
A lot of people have grave concerns over the Albanese government and its obvious Socialist/Marxist agenda. There is equal concern over PM Tony Albanese’s continuing bold-faced lies.
For example, he lied when he said the Voice was only a “modest proposal”.
He also lied when he claimed that the Voice was only about recognition and not about treaty and reparations.
He lied when he inferred that the ‘vast majority’ of Australia’s indigenous people had requested for the Voice to be enshrined in our Constitution.
He lied over the meaning of the word ‘Makarrata’.
He lied when he said that the Uluru Statement from the Heart was only one page.
And he lied with such conviction that many educated – but very naïve – people voted ‘Yes’ to the referendum.
And now he wants us to trust him and accept his Misinformation Bill.
Instead of trying to impose this obscene piece of proposed legislation, Albanese should tear it up into little pieces and apologise for proposing it in the first place.
But he won’t of course!
So, unless we make a firm stand, it will probably become law.
And George Orwell (pictured below) will be proven right in his prediction.
If you would like to sign a petition against this proposal, go to the Advance Australia website www.advanceaustralia.org.au and go to ‘Ministry of Truth’ campaign.
Advance Australia was the driving force behind the ‘No’ campaign against the Voice.
Once again, it’s now up to us to assert ourselves, as we did with the racist and divisive Voice proposal.
