Analysing The Combating Misinformation and Disinformation Bill.

The Wigs

This week the wigs examine the federal government’s proposed Communications Legislation Amendment (Combating Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill.

The draft Bill released by the Albanese government proposes a method to combat the phenomenon of Misinformation and Disinformation, said to be a growing and pressing problem accompanying the explosion in social media and the internet more broadly.

The draft Bill has sparked a national conversation around free speech and the extent of the harms posed by false information.

Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay posed the issue this way in an op-ed in The Australian on Thursday 24 August 2023.

"Despite being labelled the “word of the decade” in 2021, fake news is not a modern phenomenon. Misinformation has been spread for political gain since Octavian used fake news to discredit Mark Antony in ancient Rome. What is different today is the way modern technology makes it easier to spread fake news around the world but harder to distinguish fact from fiction. Misinformation and disinformation can have devastating effects on human rights, social cohesion and democratic processes. Australia needs to address these risks. But this needs to be balanced with ensuring we don’t unduly affect freedom of expression".

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