Federal Government Must Abandon Plan For Internet Censorship

Dear Minister, 

I am writing to you and your colleagues on behalf of the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) to share with you our research and analysis of the Federal Government’s deeply concerning attack on freedom of speech with plans to censor the internet.

As you would be aware the IPA has a longstanding commitment to conducting research into the fundamental human right to freedom of speech. […]

It is because of the depth of our research that the IPA recognises how government overreach threatens the freedoms of Australians. And it is because of this research that we consider the Federal Government’s proposal to give to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) new powers to enforce rules for “misinformation” and “disinformation” on digital platforms to be such a concerning development.

IPA analysis finds the Federal Government’s proposal would establish in ACMA the power to be Canberra’s Thought Police. This would mean:

• the government would be responsible for defining the “official” truth and controlling acceptable opinion;
• the government would police what Australians and their friends and family are allowed to say to each other online; and
• this will only be the beginning of government internet censorship in Australia.