Australian government drops misinformation bill

The Australian government has withdrawn a bill that would have fined online platforms up to 5% of their global revenue if they failed to stop the spread of misinformation.

The bill, which was backed by the Labor government, would have allowed the Australian Communications and Media Authority to create enforceable rules around misinformation on digital platforms.

In a statement, communications minister Michelle Rowland said the bill would have “ushered in an unprecedented level of transparency, holding big tech to account for their systems and processes to prevent and minimise the spread of harmful misinformation and disinformation online.”

However, she said, “based on public statements and engagements with Senators, it is clear that there is no pathway to legislate this proposal through the Senate.”

When a revised version of the bill was introduced in September, Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), criticized it in a one-word post: “Fascists.”

Shadow communications minister David Coleman was a vocal opponent of the bill, arguing that it would prompt platforms to suppress free speech in order to avoid fines. With the bill now seemingly dead, Coleman posted that it was a “shocking attack on free speech that betrayed our democracy” and called on the prime minister to “rule out any future version of this legislation.”

Rowland’s statement, meanwhile, called for Parliament support on “other proposals to strengthen democratic institutions and keep Australians safe online,” including legislation targeting deepfakes, enforcement of “truth in political advertising for elections,” and AI regulation.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is also pursuing a plan to ban social media for children under 16.