Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said if he were “dictator” he would ban Australians from accessing social media.
Albanese made the comments while speaking with 3AW radio host Neil Mitchell back in August 2023 after he was asked what he would do if he held a five-year-long dictatorship over the nation.
The Prime Minister, while clarifying that he doesn’t support dictatorships, admitted, “The most frustrating thing—if I could do something, maybe I’d ban social media.”
When asked what bothers him about social media, Albanese said, “a couple of things,” noting the freedom with which people can post comments without “fear.”
Albanese said, “One [thing that worries me] is keyboard warriors who can anonymously say anything that all without any fear — the sort of things that they would never say to you face to face.”
The 2023 clip resurfaced after the Australian Government this week introduced a proposed online “misinformation” bill.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland presented the legislation to Parliament on Thursday, arguing that misinformation and disinformation represent a “serious threat” to the safety and wellbeing of Australians, as well as to the nation’s democracy, society, and economy.
An analysis by the Institute of Public Affairs highlighted a number of serious flaws in the new legislation, describing it as “the single biggest attack on freedom of speech in Australia’s peacetime history.”
The Australian Government also this week announced plans to ban all teenagers under 16 from accessing social media, with the Prime Minister saying the legislation will override parental consent.
The move has faced criticism online, with many concerned that the only way the government could enforce such legislation is by requiring users to verify their age by linking their identification to every social media account — a plan floated back in 2022 under the guise of ending online anonymity and cracking down on “social media abuse.”
