Australia has no constitutional free speech protection. Two companies own most of the media. Misinformation laws give bureaucrats the power to define and remove speech. MMP enacts a statutory Bill of Rights, repeals misinformation laws, and breaks media concentration.
Australia has no constitutional guarantee of free speech. The implied freedom of political communication is narrow and uncertain. What Parliament gives, Parliament can take. Free speech exists at the pleasure of whichever government holds office — and any government can remove it by simple majority.
Legislation gives government bodies the power to define and compel removal of misinformation. No government or algorithm can be trusted as sole arbiter of truth. The misinformation label is applied most aggressively to heterodox views and dissenting positions — exactly the speech that free expression is designed to protect.
Two companies — News Corp and Nine Entertainment — control the majority of Australian print and broadcast media. Cross-ownership rules systematically weakened over 30 years. Perspectives have narrowed dramatically. The diversity of voices required for a functioning democracy is missing.
MMP establishes a statutory Bill of Rights enshrining freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion. A future government cannot remove these rights by simple parliamentary majority. Freedom of speech includes the right to say things that are offensive and wrong — the remedy for bad speech is more speech, not government-mandated silence.
All legislation giving any government body the power to define and compel removal of misinformation is repealed. The answer to harmful false information is transparency, media literacy, and a diverse media landscape — not the state deciding what is true. Platforms required to be transparent — not to be state censors.
Comprehensive protection: any Australian who exposes genuine government wrongdoing or corporate misconduct is protected from prosecution, civil liability, and employment retaliation. Journalists who publish are protected. No Australian faces criminal prosecution for telling the truth about the powerful. Existing whistleblower prosecutions reviewed.
The ABC restored to full independent funding — indexed to population and inflation with statutory protection from political interference. Cross-media ownership reformed: no single entity controls more than 30% of the national media audience. Diversity of voices is a democratic asset. Its concentration is a democratic vulnerability.
Public interest defence strengthened: reporting on matters of genuine public concern is protected where the journalist acted in good faith and made reasonable efforts to verify. Cost protection for defendants in public interest proceedings. Serious Harm threshold raised. Defamation law exists to protect genuine reputations — not to silence journalism.
All social media platforms above a minimum size publish their content moderation policies and apply them consistently. Algorithmic amplification systems disclosed — independent audit body with full access, annual public report on what each algorithm amplifies and suppresses. The algorithm that shapes Australian public discourse is public infrastructure, not a trade secret.
Replace the under-16 ban with mandatory age-banded content: 8–12 curated only, no ads, no DMs; 13–15 parental visibility, time limits; 16–17 full access with digital literacy onboarding. Platforms that cannot implement age-banded design lose their Australian licence. All platforms above minimum size must publish recommendation algorithms as open source — publicly auditable.
Internet everywhere — three delivery mechanisms: SBC communications spine to every corridor town; a sovereign satellite deal (manufacturing and launch at the SBC spaceport, satellite internet built on Australian soil); and a universal service obligation. Every community guaranteed high-speed broadband. Telcos that cannot deliver lose spectrum licences.
All AI-generated content in political advertising must be disclosed. Deepfakes of real people without consent prohibited. AI-generated voice and video of political figures must be consented to. National AI content standard developed through broad consultation — not written by platforms or government alone.
How algorithms work, how to identify manipulation, how to evaluate sources, and how to maintain healthy online behaviour — taught in every Australian school from primary level. The child who understands how an algorithm captures their attention is harder to manipulate than the child who is simply banned from the platform. Education, not prohibition.
Australian agencies have among the broadest digital surveillance powers in the democratic world. Blanket metadata retention ends. Encryption-breaking powers subject to strict judicial oversight — no agency accesses private communications without an independent court warrant. A statutory right to privacy enshrined in the Bill of Rights. Australians have a right to communicate privately.
| Current — The Failure | MMP — The Solution |
|---|---|
| No constitutional right to free speech. Parliament can remove any freedom it grants. | Statutory Bill of Rights — speech, press, assembly, and religion, protected from simple majority. |
| Government can define and mandate removal of "misinformation" — applied to heterodox views. | All misinformation legislation repealed. Platforms transparent, not state censors. |
| Two companies control most of Australian print and broadcast media. ABC defunded. | 30% cross-media ownership cap. ABC fully funded and statutorily independent. |
| Whistleblowers prosecuted for telling the truth about the powerful. | Comprehensive whistleblower protection. Existing prosecutions reviewed. |
| Defamation law used to silence reporting on the powerful. | Public interest defence strengthened. Cost protection. Serious harm threshold raised. |
| Recommendation algorithms are trade secrets shaping public discourse invisibly. | All platforms above minimum size publish algorithms as open source — independently audited. |
| Blanket metadata retention of every Australian's online activity. Limited judicial oversight. | Metadata retention ended. Encryption-breaking powers require independent court warrant. |
| Under-16 ban — blunt instrument that drives kids to worse platforms. | Age-banded social media. Digital literacy as core curriculum. Education, not prohibition. |
No memos pinned to this policy yet. When an MMP memo on this topic is published, it will appear here with a short summary. The full memo index is at moralmajority.com.au/memos.html.