Senator Lidia Thorpe has confirmed she will oppose the Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation Bill, saying there are major problems with the legislation in its current form.
Quotes attributable to Lidia Thorpe, Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung independent Victorian Senator:
"I am no stranger to the problems around misinformation and disinformation. False information about me is routinely published in mainstream media and spread online. And First Peoples are commonly the targets of racist misinformation and disinformation.
"Just look at the public discussion about the Voice, the genocide in Gaza, and the reality of colonisation in this country. You can see how misinformation, including from governments, is weaponised against marginalised people.
"These are real problems that First Peoples know well. But this Bill is not the solution.
"The broad and vague definitions in this legislation allow too much scope for suppression of dissenting voices. We have to ensure that political dissent, protest and Truth-Telling are not suppressed or censored.
"I have concerns that this bill could stifle First Nations voices that challenge systemic injustice—be it through advocacy for land rights, resistance to oppressive policies, or critique of colonial governments.
"The Bill’s reliance on white-dominated institutions to regulate what constitutes “truth” will further erase, suppress and misrepresent First Nations narratives and activism.
"Neither ACMA nor overseas tech companies are appropriate arbitrators on questions of 'truth'.
"ACMA lacks First Nations expertise or advisory roles. This agency is not fit to regulate content that relates to First Peoples.
"We need much stronger transparency and regulatory measures for tech companies. We know their profits are built on exploiting and amplifying harmful and divisive content that damages marginalised communities.
"This legislation gives these companies too much discretion to decide what is and isn't misinformation, and doesn’t require enough transparency.
"These companies should be made to disclose how data is collected, used, and shared, and we should be able to see how their algorithms work.
"Platforms must be required to obtain consent before using peoples data and ensure that communities can control their data, particularly First Nations communities. First Nations data sovereignty should be respected.
"Ultimately, we need to establish a Digital Rights Act and a Human Rights act in this country, and before we have those rights enshrined, we need to be very careful with any legislation like this."