A domestic violence advert by Anthony Albanese has been hit by bitter backlash after Australians criticized the Prime Minister’s attempt to introduce misinformation laws.
Albanese marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women with a video in a post on X on Monday, but was criticized in the comments.
X users pounced on the prime minister’s post to express their anger at the proposed disinformation law, which many have called an attempt at censorship.
“Today we pause to remember all those whose lives have been lost to domestic and family violence,” the prime minister said in his video address.
‘One death is too many. One death a week is an epidemic and each death is its own universe of devastation.
“Domestic, family and sexual violence goes against everything we hold dear as Australians.”
But one commenter responded: ‘So does censorship and banning children from interacting with their friends and family. All very un-Australian.
Another accused the Prime Minister of “distraction” and said he tried to rush the bill to “prevent the next generation of voters from getting alternative opinions and information outside of government-approved sources.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese could not dodge criticism over the bill scrapped on Monday.
“Oh look at this man trying to make us ‘safe,'” another furious commenter said.
‘So I understand that this is really important. However, as always, this is unfortunately being announced while trying to pass the digital ID bill. It’s disgusting.
The Prime Minister’s post came a day after Communications Minister Michelle Rowland confirmed that Labor would abandon its attempt to introduce a disinformation bill.
Rowland made the announcement on Sunday after it was revealed that the Greens, Coalition and several Cross MPs would not support the legislation.
Although disinformation laws may be scrapped, the Albanian government has also introduced, in a world first, legislation to ban access to social media platforms for those under 16 years of age.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has voiced his support for the new laws, meaning they will almost certainly be passed by Parliament.
And the government also plans to implement a digital identification system by the end of the year.
In August, Government Services Minister Bill Shorten announced an $11.4 million trial of a QR code mobile phone app that would replace a driver’s license card or passport to verify a person’s identity.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland announced that Labor would abandon its attempt to introduce the disinformation bill.
Accessed through a person’s myGov wallet, the technology will store information such as date of birth, address, citizenship, visa status, qualifications, occupational licenses or working with children check , and other information already in the government’s possession.
Australians could use the technology to book hotel rooms, verify their identity with a new employer or prove they are over 18 in a bar, Shorten said.
But the proposal has sparked widespread concerns among security experts and non-Labour MPs.
As Albanese spoke about domestic violence on Monday, a landmark coronial inquest found it was still widespread in the Northern Territory.
Northern Territory coroner Elisabeth Armitage has delivered findings into the murders of four Aboriginal women – Kumanjayi Haywood, Ngeygo Ragurrk, Miss Yunupingu and Kumarn Rubuntja – by their partners.
During the course of the investigation, the coroner’s office was made aware of 86 deaths of women from domestic violence in the NT, the majority of them Aboriginal, over the past 24 years.
Before the Commissioner of Domestic and Family Violence, Micaela Cronin, the coroner requested funding for a maximum body in the Territory to respond to the “shocking horror.”
“Only the Northern Territory, which experiences the highest rates of domestic violence in the country, does not have a peak body,” he said in the courtroom.
“We must frankly acknowledge that our government and non-governmental agencies are failing to turn the tide.”