‘Crackpot’: Elon Musk calls Australia ‘fascist’

Billionaire Elon Musk has been accused of pedalling “crackpot stuff” after he branded the Albanese Government fascists for considering disinformation penalties for social media giants.

Social media companies could be fined up to five per cent of their annual turnover under the proposed laws.

That’s prompted Mr Musk, who owns the social media platform X, to return fire overnight.

“Fascists,” he wrote in a one word riposte on X, formerly know as Twitter.

Speaking on ABC breakfast Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones said Australia had a right to introduce its own laws.

“This is crackpot stuff. It really is crackpot stuff,” he said.

“This is about sovereignty and whether it’s the Australian Government or any other government around the world, we assert our right to pass laws which will keep Australians safe – safe from scammers, safe from criminals, and, for the life of me, I can’t see how Elon Musk or anyone else, in the name of free speech, thinks it is OK to have social media platforms publishing scam content, which is robbing Australians of billions of dollars every year.

“Publishing deepfake material, publishing child pornography.

“Live-streaming murder scenes. I mean is this what he thinks free speech is all about?

“You know, you can’t do that as a publisher. You can’t do that as a broadcaster and it’s absolutely absurd to say that the laws — normal laws around deaf nation, the normal laws around criminal activity, the normal laws around false or misleading statements in the conduct of business apply everywhere except on the internet. That’s absurd.”

Mr Jones said most Australians wouldn’t be bothered by “batty comments” from Elon Musk or anyone else.”

Former Labor leader Bill Shorten said Mr Musk lacked a consistent approach to the issues.

“Elon Musk has more positions on our free speech than the Kama Sutra,” he told the Today show on Friday.

“When it’s in his commercial interests, he is the champion of free speech, when he doesn’t like it, he’s going to shut it all down.”

Big changes for social media rules

Digital platforms including Facebook and TikTok will be held to account for seriously harmful misinformation under new laws.

Pledging to tackle seriously harmful content, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland unveiled the changes, warning that while digital platforms had brought significant benefits to Australians, they can also serve as a vehicle for the spread of misleading or false information.

Under the changes the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will oversee digital platforms with new information gathering, record keeping, code registration and standard making powers.

The Albanese Government said it would mean new obligations on digital platforms to increase their transparency with Australian users about how they handle misinformation and disinformation on its services.

“Misinformation and disinformation pose a serious threat to the safety and wellbeing of Australians, as well as to our democracy, society and economy,” Ms Rowland said.

“Doing nothing and allowing this problem to fester is not an option.

“The Government is committed to keeping Australians safe online, and that includes ensuring the ACMA has the powers it needs to hold digital platforms to account for misinformation and disinformation on their services.”

But she insisted the new legislation would also get the balance right with strong protections for freedom of speech.

“These revisions reflect that feedback and I look forward to seeing the Bill become law as we combat the threat of misinformation and disinformation.”