Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott warns the current government could inadvertently become a victim of its own Misinformation Bill, saying defining “misinformation” is too difficult.
“This whole question of what is misinformation, what is disinformation, is just so difficult to pin down,” Abbott said during an interview with Radio 2GB.
“For instance, was the prime minister’s claim during the election that he would reduce power bills by $275 per household per year—was that misinformation, an honest mistake, if you like, or was it disinformation—a deliberate untruth?” the former Liberal Party leader said.
He continued by drawing parallels to the rapidly evolving guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting how scientific advice shifted frequently.
“The claims during the pandemic that masks were essentially useless—was that misinformation? And then what about the claims that masks were essentially necessary, was that misinformation?” Abbott asked.
The former prime minister’s statements underscore broader concerns within the Liberal-National Coalition about the difficulty of defining misinformation and disinformation in a way that does not stifle legitimate debate or dissent.
The Coalition has officially committed to opposing the new measures, saying the bill could also incentivise social media platforms to simply block swathes of content to avoid running afoul of the proposed laws.
The revised legislation follows an earlier draft proposal, which was delayed in November of last year.
Under the bill, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will have the power to impose significant fines on social media platforms.
The bill defines misinformation as content that is “reasonably verifiable as false, misleading, or deceptive, and is reasonably likely to cause or contribute to serious harm.”
The government says the revised bill has been crafted to “carefully balance the public interest in combatting seriously harmful misinformation and disinformation with the freedom of expression.”
In defending the bill earlier, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese Anthony said it was “quite strange” that the federal opposition would now oppose it, when it was originally proposed by the Coalition.
