MACKAY councillor and former National Party MP George Christensen has dubbed the Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill that gives the government and big tech the power to decide what’s “misinformation”, the Online Censorship Bill.
Christensen says Peter Dutton and the Coalition may not have the numbers to block this bill on their own, but with the crossbenchers they do.
“So without opposition from the Liberals and Nationals, the Senate cannot stop the “Online Censorship” Bill. If they join forces with the crossbenchers, we have a real chance to defeat this bill. That’s why we’re urging the Coalition to stand firm and lead the charge to protect free speech in Australia,” Christensen wrote in an email to his CitizenGo supporters.
He said the Bill was moving fast. The government announced it on a Wednesday night and introduced it into Federal Parliament the very next morning. “If it passes both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it will allow the government to censor political dissent and any criticism of their policies. We need to act now before it’s too late.”
Christensen has provided a petition to sign and share. “Can you sign and help us get as many signatures as we possibly can to it? If the response is huge then they cannot ignore us in Parliament. Thank you for standing up for free speech.”
Christensen says the more people who sign, the louder our voice. “Please share this petition with family, friends, and everyone in your network. Together, we can stop the Online Censorship Bill!” The petition can be signed at this link.
In an earlier email to supporters, Christensen said the Federal Government wanted to control everything people say, read, and share online. “This is a full-blown assault on free speech in Australia. You and I both know that once governments start dictating what we can say and think, we’re on the fast track to a totalitarian state.
“They’re pushing this Online Censorship Bill by claiming that you and other Australians need to be “protected” from “misinformation”. That’s just the sugar-coated lie they’re feeding us. What this bill really does is crush dissent. It puts an immense onus of censorship on the already censorious big tech – those unelected, unaccountable corporations – and obligates them to silence anyone who dares challenge the government’s version of “truth.”
“Today, it’s a post questioning policies. Tomorrow, it could be your opinion on anything that doesn’t fit their narrative. They want us all in line – quiet, obedient, and too afraid to speak up. This is government overreach at its most extreme, and we are standing on the brink of losing our most fundamental freedom.
“If we don’t act now, the Online Censorship Bill will pass before we even know it – and once that happens, it’s game over for free speech in Australia. We need to stop this bill but the only way we can do that is by ensuring that the Liberal National Coalition does not side with Labor to kill of free speech in this country.”
