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‘Disinformation is incredibly dangerous’: 16 organisations call for honesty in the upcoming election
The Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC), alongside 15 other organisations, has released a “policy vision”, which calls for a commitment to truth during and beyond the upcoming Australian federal election.
Shandel McAuliffe
The purpose of the policy, according to the HRLC, is to avoid the sorts of “disinformation” that sprang up in the past around events such as the federal election in 2019 and crises like COVID-19.
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Our Policy Vision on Electoral Disinformation states: “The lead up to this federal election is a critical time for our country. Australians don’t want a repeat of the 2019 federal election, when our news feeds were flooded with lies.”
The policy continues: “Australians have seen the chaos that results when people no longer trust news and facts, from Brexit to the US Capitol riot. We need those in power to step up and prevent Australia from going further down this path.”
Commenting on how damaging disinformation can be, HRLC senior lawyer Alice Drury said that “disinformation is incredibly dangerous”.
“As we’ve seen with the US Capitol riots, disinformation can poison democracy and cause massive civil unrest. We’ve also seen throughout the pandemic that disinformation on issues like vaccines can ultimately be deadly,” she said.
Our Policy Vision on Electoral Disinformation states: “When public debate is informed by facts and trustworthy sources, our democracy thrives.”
But the policy also asserts that “dangerous disinformation campaigns and hate speech are polarising and dividing our communities”.
Accordingly, the policy is framed under three areas, with commentary and suggestions provided under three key pledges: campaign honestly, commit to meaningful reform to stop disinformation, and commit to developing laws to limit the spread of disinformation.
The Australia Institute senior researcher for the democracy and accountability program Bill Browne commented: “Australians deserve the facts when they go on social media or view political ads, but at the moment there is no guarantee that that is what they are getting.
“We need nationally consistent, constitutional laws that limit misinformation while upholding freedom of speech.”
The policy is being put forward by a range of organisations, including the Australian Council of Social Service, Australian Muslim Advocacy Network, Uniting Church (Synod of Victoria and Tasmania), Climate Council, Foundation for Young Australians, and Transparency International Australia.
Ms Drury implored: “Every single candidate running in the election has a role to play to protect our country from a dystopian future.
“Candidates must step up, commit to campaigning honestly and pursuing reforms to stop disinformation if elected.”
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