TRANSCRIPT:
A shocking week of violence in Sydney has renewed calls for the government to sanction social media companies who fail to remove misinformation and graphic content.
A stabbing attack during a televised church service in Sydney ((Mon 15)) came less than two days after a man killed six people and wounded multiple others in Bondi Junction ((Sat 13)).
In both cases, uncensored video footage of the violence immediately started spreading online - along with false theories about who was involved and why.
It's prompted Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant to formally order social media companies to remove the material.
"I am not satisfied that enough is being done to protect Australians from the most extreme and gratuitous violent material circulating online. That is why I'm exercising my powers under the Online Safety Act, to formally compel them to remove it. I have issued a notice to X Corp requiring them to remove this content. A legal notice will also be sent to Meta this afternoon and further notices will likely follow. I will not hesitate to use further graduated powers at my disposal if there is continued non-compliance."
And so far, that's what the orders have been met with.
The global government affairs account for X, formerly known as Twitter, posted a statement vowing to fight the mandate in court, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
The statement said "while X respects the right of a country to enforce its laws within its jurisdiction, the eSafety Commissioner does not have authority to dictate what content X's users can see globally".
The requests for the takedowns have also been criticised by X's owner Elon Musk.
He has been rebuked by Australian politicians across both sides of the political divide.
Labor Minister Chris Bowen say Mr Musk is not above the law.
"Elon Musk might be happy for Twitter (now X) to be a cesspit of misinformation and violence. We're not, and we won't put up with it. Elon Musk might think he's above Australian law, we don't agree. All social media in Australia should comply with Australian law, and we will implement Australian law as it stands."
In an unusual display of bipartisanship, opposition leader Peter Dutton has agreed.
He's told the ABC Insiders program he's prepared to work with the government to tighten Australia's misinformation laws and introduce tougher penalties.
"We've seen some of the comments from Elon Musk overnight - they see themselves as above the law and the Australian law here should apply equally in the real world as it does online. As Phil (Koorie) was pointing out before, you would be sued for defamation and you would be taken before the courts under various acts for publishing some of that which freely flows on the internet and there's an age-verification regime which has been recommended by the eSafety Commissioner from 2023, we think that's something the government should pick up straight away as well. But the Online Safety Act has significant powers in it, we passed it when we were in government, and it needs to enforced, and if the laws are inadequate and they need to be strengthened or added to then we would support any effort from the government."
The spotlight is now back on the government's misinformation bill, which was shelved last year.
Mr Dutton's remarks signal a turnaround for the opposition, which was fiercely critical of that original legislation on the grounds it would stifle political debate and freedom of speech.
Now, the opposition leader says Australia should still be careful to "get the right balance" between freedom of expression and a tougher stance.
Nationals leader David Littleproud has told Channel 9 he feels the same way.
"I'm a big supporter of protecting freedom of speech and we've got to be careful when government tries to censor that. But this is a platform that has a responsibility, has big resources, and I don't think anyone can argue that putting up those distressing images is a good thing for freedom of speech."
Mr Dutton says the legislation could have a significant impact, given the billions of dollars in revenue that companies like Meta turn over in the Australian economy.
"I think what they're worried about is the flow on to other markets if Australia's laws are upheld, and that's all the more reason I think for us to take a stance. It's important for us, but it's important for other democracies as well."
The government is certainly happy to put misinformation back on the agenda - and is not afraid to get tough with social media companies that don't comply.
Agriculture Minister Murray Watt says he's hopeful the outcry over violent content circulating on social media after the stabbing attacks would lead to stronger misinformation laws.
He has told Sky News he believes Elon Musk is out of step with what the public expect.
"Quite frankly I think the public's had a gutful of these narcissistic billionaires who think they are above the law. They have a social responsibility to do the right thing by their consumers, they're not doing it. They have a social responsibility as producers and disseminators of information to do the right thing by the public. They make a lot of money off the public - billions of dollars a year - and I think they owe us all a responsibility and they should comply with the laws like everyone else does."
