Labor’s proposed crackdown on misinformation and disinformation being spread on social media could have stymied legitimate criticism of pandemic-era public health measures such as lockdowns, according to former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth.

Writing in The Australian Financial Review, Dr Coatsworth said while he was frustrated by rubbish on social media, and he had personally faced threats to his safety, the government’s proposed definitions for “serious harm”, “misinformation” and “disinformation” were troubling.