END eSAFETY: ABOLISH THE ONLINE SAFETY ACT
THE eSAFETY PROBLEM
The eSafety Commisioner holds office under the Online Safety Act 2021. This world-first attempt at regulating the internet has instead been a disaster for Australians and our international reputation.
Whilst the Online Safety Act 2021 was supposed to have safeguards protecting political expression, the Commissioner has been able to entirely circumvent them. Her office has acted in a partisan manner pursuing political vendettas. It is time to put an end to this failed experiment.
END THE ONLINE SAFETY ACT TODAY
The Online Safety Act is the primary legislation that governs the 'eSafety Commissioner'. It provides a range of powers that allow for content to be ordered to be removed from the internet.
In short, it has been misused. Rather than protecting the public, the eSafety Commissioner has engaged in removing material for political purposes. People who have been genuinely subject to abuse have not been protected, whilst her office has waged political crusades. The result has been to undermine Australian democracy and damage Australia's international reputation.
Unfortunately, with these types of powers, the safeguards are easily avoided. The Commissioner fails to give notice to all the affected people, thus limiting challenges. Her office also simply ignores many of the constraints in the legislation, including the requirement that she is not entitled to intervene with the implied freedom of political communication.
The Free Speech Union of Australia. We exist to protect and promote Freedom of Expression for all Australians. To find out more, follow our Twitter feed, or visit our website, where you can join us.
We will deliver a list of names and postcodes to Parliament in due course. Your email address information will only be known to the Free Speech Union of Australia.