When you buy through affiliate links in our content, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn 
Australia’s ruling center-left Labor Party has been left reeling after it was forced to scrap plans for its social media disinformation law due to a lack of bipartisan support.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s administration had proposed to fine online platforms up to 5% of their global revenue if they did not enforce the measures, but the plans will not materialize.
The disinformation bill was part of a wide range of proposed legislation to combat the influence and reach of non-domiciled tech platforms, with one plan on the table to outlaw access to social media for children under 16.
It will be dealt with separately to address the harms linked to young people, but the defeated bill has not gained sufficient cross-party support to proceed, attracting widespread criticism across the political spectrum, with Communications Minister Michelle Rowland conceding there was “no pathway to legislate this proposal through the Senate.”
The Albanese government is facing calls to apologise for proposing "censorship laws" as free speech advocates celebrate Labor dumping its online misinformation bill in a "humiliating backdown".https://t.co/nzNeA6W1dj
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) November 24, 2024
Coalition Insists on Government Apology for Censorship Laws
Opposition political figures and free speech campaigners in Australia have rejoiced at the announcement the disinformation bill had been struck down.
Last month, the Human Rights Commission in the country intimated that although improvements had been made to the proposed legislation, it still did not go far enough to protect freedom of expression.
The federal Coalition in Australia consists of the Liberal-National alliance of center-right and right-wing parties, one of the two main political forces in the Oceanic nation.
Coalition representative, shadow communications minister David Coleman described the development as a humiliating blow for Labor and a win for free speech in the country.
He went on to deride the bill, insisting it had no place in Australia, betraying its democratic values. Coleman condemned the proposed legislation, requesting that the Labor Party apologize for aiming to “impose their censorship laws”.
Beyond the Coalition, the bill was also rebuked by crossbench representatives, from Pauline Hanson’s One Nation to the Greens.
