A Stay of Execution of Free Speech in Australia By James Reed
The Albanese Government’s Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2023, has been halted for the moment, seemingly not because Albo and his socialist comrades have discovered the worth of the liberal value of free speech, but because they want the misinformation and disinformation law to include religious speech as well. While many conservatives are sitting back and seeing a temporary victory, an article in Spectstor.com.au, entitled, “Christians Beware, Labor’s ‘Religious Exemption’ makes Misinformation and Disinformation Bill More Dangerous,” the point is made that this will be a whitewash and only religious speech favouring Labor’s voters will be protected:
“Which brings us to Labor’s plan to bribe the Bill’s passage into law by promising to ‘protect’ religious speech.
We write ‘protect’ with a dubious air because in practice this is likely to mean that certain religious speech advantageous to Labor’s voting base will be protected, while other religious speech will not. How often do we see double-standards in relation to culture play out in this country? Where is the evidence this Bill is any different when its existence is designed to quieten political dissent?
Weighing into religious exemptions effectively allows the government to not only determine ‘truth’, but to adjudicate on what is and isn’t protected religious speech.
Any religious person or organisation that falls for this promise is mad.
And too bad if you are irreligious. Your ability to criticise certain religious rhetoric will be stripped to protect the feelings of volatile communities where criticism is a healthy moderator of extreme behaviour. This Bill, in its amended form, will invite religious groups to squabble over the validity of their irreconcilable beliefs while the agnostic remain duct-taped in the corner.
Will Christians be able to write critically about the trans movement and surgical affirmation for children? Probably not. Will Islamic radicals be able to shout, ‘From the River to the Sea!’ in the face of Jewish people? Almost certainly.
Religious freedom laws work a lot like ‘equity’ and ‘diversity’ policies. In other words, they don’t work.”
Christian must not be deceived by this most dangerous of Bills, which has been condemned by Christian freedom movement people across the globe. It must continue to be fought, and finally defeated.
https://informedchoice.substack.com/p/acma-censorship-legislation-stopped
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