Category: ACMA

New ‘Misinformation’ Law Gets the Balance of Power All Wrong

Commentary In June, the Albanese Labor government released an exposure draft of a dystopian proposed legislation that will empower a government body, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), to police online “misinformation” and “disinformation.” The “Mis/Dis Bill” is accompanied by a guidance note with little transparency and an invitation to make a submission by…


Nearly 20,000 Sign Petition Against ‘Misinformation’ Laws

Nearly 20,000 individuals have signed a petition against federal laws targeting “misinformation” in Australia. Former MP George Christensen warned the country could be plunged into an “Orwellian nightmare.” “This proposed legislation aims to have so-called ‘misinformation’ removed from the internet by fining social media companies and other online companies that allow free speech,” he wrote…


Concerns Raised Over CCP Programs Dominance in Australian Multicultural Radio Station Programing

A veteran radio journalist has raised concerns about the effect propaganda from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is having on Chinese-speaking Australians after he discovered that state-sponsored propaganda had been hitting the airwaves for over twenty years in Sydney. Nick Wong, a former Wellington-based Chinese newspaper publisher, as well as a former member of the…


Is Australia Pointing a Sword at Religious Freedom With ‘Disinformation’ Laws

Commentary In Australia, announced government laws to police “disinformation” on the internet are so expansive that they threaten religious freedom. Regulatory powers that are proposed to be given to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) give the power to compel the removal of “harmful” speech from the internet. The extension of such powers is a…


Has Managing Free Speech Become a Bipartisan Value in Australia?

Commentary Prime Minister Scott Morrison is right to say that Australians are “sick of walking on eggshells” over what the media has pre-emptively declared controversial topics. Morrison’s comments followed a malicious campaign to scour the social media history of Katherine Deves for evidence of what the overly sensitive regard as offensive comments. Deves was the…


Optus and TPG Refunding 6.5 Million to Consumers for Underperforming NBN Speeds

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) announced that Optus and TPG would be refunding 6.5 million to tens of thousands of NBN consumers for not informing them suitably of underdelivered internet speeds. Under ACMA rules, telcos must verify maximum internet speeds when migrating customers to the NBN and notify them when speeds cannot meet…


Australia Puts Website Accused of Fake Journalists on Register for Payment by Facebook, Google

Australia’s ground-breaking law forcing platforms like Google and Facebook to pay local publishers for news faces an unlikely test case: a website that experts say uses fake journalist profiles that has won regulatory backing for its bid to be paid. Australia’s regulator in charge of enforcing the law, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, last…


Online Retailer Kogan Fined Over $300,000 for Breaching Spam Laws

Major online retailer Kogan has been fined $310,800 for sending 42 million marketing emails without proper unsubscribe functions. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found the company breached Australian spam laws by forcing consumers to set up an account before they could sign-out of the emails. “Kogan’s breaches have affected millions of consumers. The…