Australian censorship laws set to undermine U.S. First Amendment rights
Australian censorship laws set to undermine U.S. First Amendment rights
Nation First looks at how the Albanese Labor Government's Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation Bill would even censor the constitutionally-protected free speech rights of US citizens.
Dear friend,
Australia’s Albanese Labor Government is unleashing a full-scale assault on free speech—not just down under, but across the globe. Take it from me as a former Member of the Australian House of Representatives who served for 12 years: the proposed Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024 is a sinister power grab disguised as “combatting misinformation.” In my time in federal politics and before and after I have never seen anything like it. This bill is designed to crush dissent, control narratives, and impose a regime of censorship even beyond Australia’s borders.
The Albanese Government’s Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation Bill is a global assault on free speech disguised as a fight against “misinformation,” aiming to crush dissent and control narratives even beyond Australia's borders.
Clause 3 extends the bill’s reach to regulate foreign platforms and posts by foreigners to those platforms, allowing unelected bureaucrats to censor American citizens’ constitutionally protected speech.
The vague definitions of “misinformation” and “serious harm” grant unchecked power to suppress dissenting voices, targeting figures like Elon Musk and even top-ranking podcasters like Joe Rogan and journalists like Matt Taibbi.
Platforms face harsh penalties, including massive fines, if they refuse to comply with Australia’s censorship demands, creating a chilling effect on global free speech.
This sets up a confrontation between Albanese’s authoritarian control and President Trump’s free speech initiative, with the stakes being nothing less than the survival of free expression worldwide.
Clause 3 of the Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation Bill makes it crystal clear that it extends the operation of Schedule 9 of the Broadcasting Services Act to acts, omissions, matters, and things outside Australia.
To be clear, Schedule 9 of the Broadcasting Services Act is essentially what the Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation Bill will become in law: a sweeping mechanism of state control, forcing digital platforms into compliance with government-defined rules on “misinformation” while empowering unelected bureaucrats to dictate public discourse, enforce strict transparency, and impose crushing penalties to silence dissenting voices.
This is a direct declaration that any digital communications platform offered in Australia—including American-based platforms like Facebook, X, and YouTube—will be subject to Australian regulatory control. It doesn’t matter if the content in question is shared by an American citizen exercising their constitutionally enshrined First Amendment rights; it can be flagged, censored, or removed simply because Australian bureaucrats deem it to be “misinformation.”
What gives the Albanese Government the right to silence American citizens? The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to peaceful assembly, and the right to petition the government. Yet this bill seeks to nullify these rights by enforcing Australian speech codes on foreign platforms. This isn’t just an overreach—it’s an attack on the fundamental freedoms that underpin democracy itself.
Clause 4 of the bill defines a digital service as one offered in Australia, casting a wide net over global platforms. And it doesn’t stop there. Clause 13 defines misinformation as content that is reasonably verifiable as false, misleading, or deceptive and reasonably likely to cause or contribute to serious harm. But what is “serious harm”? And reasonable to whom? Well, according to Clause 14, “serious harm” can be almost anything that bureaucrats decide poses a significant or far-reaching consequence in areas as disparate as elections, the economy, public health, and the subjective notion of vilification of minority groups. The vague, subjective language in the bill gives government officials unchecked power to suppress content on a whim. Dissent, alternative viewpoints, even hard facts that contradict official narratives—all of it could be silenced.
This bill is also a clear attempt to target Elon Musk, whom the Albanese Government—and leftists worldwide—have been at war with ever since he acquired what was once the highly censorious and woke Twitter and transformed it into the free speech platform now known as X. They despise Musk for daring to challenge their sacred narratives and giving ordinary people their voices back. But the explanatory memorandum to the bill shows Musk won’t be the only American citizen who will fall afoul of these draconian laws. What about Joe Rogan? Will Spotify be pressured to censor their top-rating podcaster to satisfy this authoritarian bill? And what of Substack? Will it be forced to take down some of its bestselling American writers, such as Bari Weiss, Matt Taibbi, and Seymour Hersh, simply because their words don’t align with the Albanese Government’s approved messaging?
This is censorship on a global scale. Platforms that refuse to bow to the Australian Government’s demands (via the Australian Communications and Media Authority or ACMA, which will become an Orwellian “Ministry of Truth” under the bill) will face crushing penalties: up to 5% of their annual turnover or 25,000 penalty units for breaching misinformation standards. These financial threats will force platforms to police speech aggressively, even if it means trampling on the rights of users worldwide. The result? A chilling effect on free expression across the internet. Australian bureaucrats would dictate what billions of people can see, hear, and say. Australian bureaucrats will force social media platforms to censor, censor, and censor some more. Australian bureaucrats will be able to have the political views of American citizens and others around the world removed from the internet.
The timing of this assault is interesting, to say the least. President Donald J. Trump has just been re-elected and is preparing to wage war on the “online censorship regime.” Trump’s Free Speech Policy Initiative aims to sever the ties between government and Big Tech, prevent arbitrary censorship, and hold bureaucrats and tech giants accountable for suppressing lawful speech.
President Trump’s free speech initiative is a lifeline in this battle. He plans to dismantle the entire toxic censorship apparatus that has taken root under the guise of “misinformation.” His proposal includes revising Section 230 to prevent platforms from acting as censors, breaking up the collusion between government and Big Tech, and imposing strict rules for transparency and neutrality. This stands in stark contrast to the Albanese Government pushing to entrench censorship on a global scale.
This sets the stage for a massive confrontation. On one side, you have Albanese and his Labor Government—hellbent on silencing dissent, crushing free thought, and branding any deviation from their narrative as “wrongthink,” all under the phony pretense of protecting public safety. On the other, you have President Trump, standing resolute in defence of free speech—the very cornerstone of Western civilisation. The stakes here are monumental: this is a fight for the fundamental right of individuals to speak, to question, and to challenge power without living in fear of state-sponsored retaliation.
If this all wasn’t bad enough, the bill goes even further by mandating that social media and other internet platforms—almost all of them American companies—implement so-called “media literacy plans.” These won’t be educational tools; they’ll be propaganda weapons, designed to “educate” users into compliance with government-approved narratives. ACMA’s transparency requirements compel platforms to publish risk assessments and reports on their handling of “misinformation.” This is nothing less than state-sanctioned narrative control, designed to suppress dissent and enforce conformity.
Australians and citizens of free nations everywhere must understand the threat. This isn’t just an Australian issue; it’s a global crisis. The bill’s reach into the digital lives of foreign citizens, including Americans, underscores the danger of unchecked state control over speech. Consider what this precedent means: if one government can impose its censorship regime globally, what’s to stop others from doing the same?
Imagine the kind of uproar we would hear if Russia attempted to do this. Or China. Or the United States of America under President Trump.
Anthony Albanese and his Communications Minister Michelle Rowland must be held to account. The stakes are nothing less than the survival of free speech. The free exchange of ideas, the right to question and dissent, and the ability to challenge authority without fear of retribution—these are the cornerstones of democracy. The Albanese Government’s bill threatens to rip these rights away, not just in Australia, but worldwide.
We cannot allow bureaucrats to decide what is true and who is allowed to speak. The free world must unite against this overreach before it is too late.
Until next time, God bless you, your family and nation.
Take care,
George Christensen
George Christensen is a former Australian politician, a Christian, freedom lover, conservative, blogger, podcaster, journalist and theologian. He has been feted by the Epoch Times as a “champion of human rights” and his writings have been praised by Infowars’ Alex Jones as “excellent and informative”.
George believes Nation First will be an essential part of the ongoing fight for freedom:
“The time is now for every proud patriot to step to the fore and fight for our freedom, sovereignty and way of life. Information is a key tool in any battle and the Nation First newsletter will be a valuable tool in the battle for the future of the West.”
— George Christensen.
Find more about George at his www.georgechristensen.com.au website.
I truely hope this bill does not pass, but if it does then I believe X will refuse to act on it, and Trump will then support him and other US companies under attack from our govt
Nobody I have spoken to has been asking for this legislation and none I speak to believe it will give any benefit, only disaster.
Seriously, how the hell did we get into a situation where such evil legislation was even passed the House of Reps????.
I spoke with Anthony Chisholms office (Labour QLD) and the whole feeling I got was that Labour are totalitarians who just want to force their members to vote the way Albo wants and to hell with Australians and free speech. This is deeply concerning.
I don't understand how individual countries could have the right to censor what citizens of other countries say on international social media platforms. I would have thought that the most any country could do is block the offending platforms in their individual country; and to do so would in itself be seen as draconian and anti-democratic by the entire world.
If Albanese attempts to proceed with this, he will ensure the LNP's victory in the next federal election. Dutton needs to state the LNP's free-speech position. If he doesn't, it will be up to One Nation and the other freedom parties to do so. My prediction is Labor will back down on this legislation.