Australia's censorship czar called out for spreading misinformation
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant is under scrutiny once again, this time accused of misinformation, overstating the rise in online abuse against Indigenous Australians.
Inman Grant, known for her failed legal battle with Elon Musk, oversees misinformation control on social media for Australia. Amid the Voice referendum debate, she claimed surge in cyber abuse complaints from Indigenous Australians, predicting an intensifying wave of racial attacks online.
However, fresh documents obtained via Freedom of Information laws suggest her claims were overstated. Inman Grant anticipated a rise in race-based complaints, yet only two complaints related to the Voice referendum were made by Indigenous Australians between January 2022 and October 2023.
From July to September 2023, 30 complaints were lodged by Indigenous Australians, just 0.4% of total complaints to eSafety, marking a minor increase from the same period in 2022. None of these complaints met the threshold for content removal.
WATCH: Rita Panahi reports that the eSafety Commissioner has been spreading misinformation about indigenous Australians receiving online abuse during the run-up to The Voice referendum.
— Free Speech Union of Australia (@FSUofAustralia) July 4, 2024
Full story - https://t.co/0jZSk5OAaw pic.twitter.com/12sONsEYD0
Inman Grant's August 2023 statement to The Australian anticipated a rise in cyber abuse reports approaching the referendum, expressing concern over the 'already high levels of online abuse faced by First Nations people.'
Her remarks followed a powerful funding boost for her agency from $10.3 million to $42.5 million annually by the Labor Government.
Despite confidentiality, data obtained by the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) showed 169 complaints from Indigenous Australians in the year before the referendum.
Australia’s cyber abuse watchdog, who famously became embroiled in a failed legal stoush with Elon Musk, has been accused of spreading “misleading” information about the impact the Voice to Parliament referendum would have on Indigenous Australians.https://t.co/tn1TQnwlEs
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) July 4, 2024
Seven categories of harm, including harassment and hate speech, were identified as potentially race-related.
IPA Director of Law and Policy John Storey accused Inman Grant of "politically charged censorship" and misleading Australians.
"The narrative Julie Inman Grant has sought to establish, that there was a wave of racist cyber abuse during the referendum, is not supported by her own office’s data," Storey stated.
Storey’s analysis criticised Inman Grant for exacerbating community tensions with unfounded claims of online abuse during the divisive debate.
Is Australia's eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, serving the interests of the Australian public or other global entities, including the censorship industrial complex?
— Rukshan Fernando (@therealrukshan) February 19, 2024
Prior to being recruited by the Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull, the former Twitter and Microsoft… pic.twitter.com/mdIwJmGtty
The data also contradicts assertions by media figures like Laura Tingle and Bridget Brennan, who claimed Australia exhibited widespread racism during the referendum.
"The data does not support the claims by journalists that the Voice referendum demonstrated the ‘nasty’ racism of the Australian community," Storey concluded.
Featured Stories
