Australia to ‘go after’ social media platforms as X challenges take down order on stabbing footage

Tougher laws forcing social media companies to remove violent or extremist content and misinformation will be backed by the Coalition as Labor signals plans to “go after” the platforms and their “narcissistic billionaire” owners.

Tougher laws forcing social media companies to remove violent or extremist content and misinformation will be backed by the Coalition as Labor signals plans to “go after” the platforms and their “narcissistic billionaire” owners who disregard community safety.

Tech giants have been accused of acting as though they were “above the law” after X, formerly known as Twitter, announced it would challenge orders by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner to remove distressing footage from Sydney’s stabbing attacks from its platform.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton said the law should apply “equally in the real world as it does online,” revealing the Coalition would back any reforms put forward by Labor that strengthened Australia’s authority to get violent social media content taken down.

“The Online Safety Act has significant powers ... and it needs to be enforced, and if the laws are inadequate or strengthened or added to, then we would support any effort from the government,” he told ABC.

X has argued the images and footage of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel being attacked during a live-streamed church service in Sydney last week do not breach its own rules on violent content, and suggested Australia’s laws have no power globally.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton says the Coalition will back any moves to strengthen Australia’s Online Safety Act. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

In a post endorsed by X owner Elon Musk, the company’s global governance affairs department described eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant’s orders to remove the content as “unlawful and dangerous”.

“The Australian censorship commissar is demanding global content bans,” Mr Musk also said on X.

But Mr Dutton said the argument Australian law could not apply overseas was a “red herring”.

“In terms of the content which is displayed here or broadcast here, well, the Australian law does apply and the fact is that X and Meta and other companies have a presence here,” he said.

“I think what they’re worried about is the flow onto other markets if Australia’s laws are upheld and that’s all the more reason ... for us to take a stance.”

X owner Elon Musk has accused Australia of trying to censor his tech platform, which is challenging an order to take down footage of Sydney’s stabbing attacks. Picture: Omar Marques/Getty Images

Mr Dutton also said the Coalition was open to supporting balanced laws to rein in misinformation online.

“We don’t want to impinge on your ability to express a view, but … the same laws need to apply in the real world as they do online,” he said.

Environment and Water Minister and former Deputy Leader of the Labor Party Tanya Plibersek slammed “egotistical billionaire” Musk on Monday morning.

“It beggars belief, doesn’t it, that this egotistical billionaire thinks it is more important for him to show whatever he wants on X or Twitter or whatever he wants to call it today,” she told Sunrise.

“It is more important for him to have his way than to respect the victims of the crimes that are being shown on social media, and to protect our Australian community from the harmful impact of showing this terrible stuff on social media.

Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Ms Plibersek said the Australian Government is “acting” in quadrupling the budget for the eSafety Commissioner.

“We tried to introduce a misinformation and disinformation bill last year. Sadly the Liberals and the Nationals didn’t support it at the time. Peter Dutton and Sussan Ley said they will now,” she said.

“We need to keep Australians safe from this terrible stuff on social media and Elon Musk doesn’t dictate to the Australian Government what we are doing here with our laws.”

Emergency Management and Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said it was ‘fair’ Australia goes after social media platforms doing the wrong thing by their consumers. Picture: Amaani Siddeek

Emergency Management and Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said it was clear Mr Musk did not think he owed any obligation to any member of the public.

“Quite frankly, I think the public’s had a gutful of these narcissistic billionaires who think they are above the law,” he told Sky News.

“They have a social responsibility to do the right thing by their consumers. They’re not doing it … and I think it’s entirely fair that we go after them.”

Mr Watt said he hoped the events of the past week, including the “proliferation of misinformation on social media,” had given everyone “pause for thought” about why stronger laws were needed.

“The technology that we’re dealing with is rapidly changing and it shows why the laws that we have in place need to rapidly change as well,” he said.

Mr Watt said Labor wanted to go further than the voluntary code for social media giants by mandating laws that apply to misinformation and can “be just ignored” by companies like X and Meta.

In a statement, the eSafety Commission said it was disappointed at how “unnecessarily prolonged” the process had become for X and other social media companies to comply with its orders.