‘Misinformation’ Bill Delayed to Consider Possible Religious Protections

The Australian Labor government is planning to delay “misinformation” and “disinformation” legislation after massive backlash to the draft bill.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has indicated that “doing nothing is not an option” but will delay the introduction of the legislation to Parliament for now.
The government received 23,000 submissions to a consultation on the legislation, the majority of which were opposed to the bill.
The Communications and Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill (pdf) would provide government bureaucrats with the power to patrol and enforce misinformation online, including issuing fines to social media companies.
The public consultation on the proposed legislation ran from June 24 to Aug. 20, 2023. The government was initially planning to introduce the bill later this year but is now reportedly looking to delay it until 2024….