Silence of The Lambs

Under the direction of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the Australian Federal Government is seeking to pass a bill that will effectively censor free speech on digital platforms for much of the Australian public. Presented as an essential measure to protect vulnerable Australians from the “harm” of disinformation and misinformation, this bill has the potential to achieve the opposite, and put ordinary Australians in harms way.

To me, this bill is a thinly veiled attempt to censor any opinions that are contrary to the purveyed narrative of the sitting government and their media bedfellows. The Australian government are seeking to expand their power and control by silencing dissenting viewpoints and doing away with open and rigorous political debate.

This lesser known yet impactful piece of legislation is being tabled under the cover of the considerable state funded noise being made about the Indigenous Voice referendum. Whilst the Government wishes to be perceived to be doing the right thing (by giving a voice to a deserving 4% of the Australian population), they are simultaneously attempting to diminish the voice of anyone who is opposing their actions and legislations.

The legislation in question, known as the Communications Legislation Amendment Bill 2023, proposes to combat the “harmful” effects of “misinformation” and “disinformation” spread via digital media platforms. The glaringly obvious flaw with this proposal is that it leaves the government to arbitrarily decide the definitions of such ambiguous terms as harm, misinformation, and disinformation.

The Australian public has not asked for this measure. The incentive for this legislation has come from within the institution of government itself, and is yet another example of government overreach. But why should we care so much about the government trying to “protect us” by censoring “misinformation”? Because censorship of free speech is the first step in a cascade of missteps that propels societies into totalitarian tyranny.

With the censorship of free speech on digital media platforms, it becomes increasingly challenging to have honest, balanced, and fair political debate in the mainstream public sphere. By silencing a large majority of conversations opposing government actions, the government of the day effectively eradicates a large majority of pushback to their agendas and policies. This has the potential to concentrate power in the hands of a shrinking and corruptible ruling class, if we choose to consent.

Think of the CCP in China, or worse still, Stalinist Russia. The woke ideologies pervasive in Western culture are an example of the left side of politics seeking to cancel, censor or de-platform people who don’t agree with their Marxist ideas.

The sitting Government in Washington is campaigning to imprison their political opposition, Donald Trump. Movements like this that have been left un-checked in the past have evolved into a totalitarian regime. In my opinion, this is once again, a concerning overreach.

Currently, the Albanese government is requesting feedback on the draft legislation, demonstrating that the Australian public are still free to speak their mind on matters pertaining to the political climate. However, if this bill passes, that may no longer be the case as we know it.

A foundational pillar of democratic and free societies is the right to freedom of thought, belief, speech and expression. This is to assure that open and free political debate provides the essential checks and balances to protect against the threat of state sponsored tyranny. This if anything, has been the greatest historical lesson of the 20th century. 

Freedom of speech is not enshrined in the Australian Constitution, but rather legislated through the Human Rights Act 2004 (ACT). This allows the government to push through amendments to legislation without the majority consent of the Australian people. 

The safest way to empower ourselves against the threat of totalitarian tyranny is to enshrine the right to freedom of speech into the Australian constitution. Any changes to the constitution require a referendum. It is my firm belief that if we held a referendum to protect freedom of speech through constitutional powers, the vast majority of Australians would vote “Yes”.

A quick Google search will reveal a tsunami of opposition to this proposed legislation, most notably, the Australian Liberal Party and a host of legal organisations. You too can submit your own opposition to this bill through the government’s own website. Click here. Or alternatively, speak out in any ways you see fit including letters to your local member of parliament, blogs, podcasts, social media platforms etc.

Remember: if you stand for nothing, you will fall for everything.