Sign the Petition Against Making Australia into an Orwellian Dystopia By James Reed

Here is the link to the petition:

https://citizengo.org/en-au/rf/211329-hands-online-free-speech

The Albo government has a draft bill, the Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2023, that will control so-called “misinformation” by fining social media companies. Naturally, the rulers will define “misinformation” as they see fit, and all of the material criticising the Covid mandates, such as the ineffectiveness of masks in preventing transmission, would not doubt be hit by this. The outline by the petition puts the case:

“This proposed legislation aims to have so-called "misinformation" removed from the internet by fining social media companies and other online companies that allow free speech.

The clock is ticking, and we must act now to protect our fundamental right to free speech. Sign our petition today to demand the government abandon this dangerous bill.

The new draft bill empowers the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to enforce an industry-wide "code of practice" and request records from digital platforms such as Google and Facebook. Those records could include your social media posts!

However, the real danger lies in the bill's vague definitions of "misinformation" and "disinformation," which are open to interpretation and abuse by those in power. And then there is the question of who decides what is ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation’. Instances where official fact-checkers have gotten it wrong or labeled satire and humor as misinformation are not uncommon. And entrusting a government agency to be the arbiter of truth is eerily reminiscent of the dystopian "Ministry of Truth" from George Orwell's 1984.

Free speech is a near absolute right, and laws should not be made for subjective matters. The notion of keeping people 'safe' from misinformation is itself misleading, as speech, even based on falsehoods, cannot cause real, direct harm. Laws should not be made for highly personal and subjective matters.

The definition of harm in the proposed bill is also highly subjective, encompassing anything deemed hateful, disruptive, or harmful to various aspects such as society, democracy, environment, and economy. These terms are open to interpretation and cannot be considered facts.

The time to act is now. We must stand together and fight against this attack on free speech before it's too late.

Sign the petition to tell the government to abandon the proposed Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2023.

Let us not allow Australia to descend into a totalitarian future where our right to speak up is silenced forever.”