Indigenous Australians reporting an increase in cyber abuse in lead-up to the voice to parliament referendum

Indigenous Australians are reporting an increased amount of cyber abuse in the lead up to voice to parliament referendum.

Online cyber abuse directed at Indigenous Australians has increased in the first half of this year and is likely to increase ahead of the referendum vote, the nation’s eSafety commissioner has warned.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has yet to announce a date for the voice to parliament referendum, but eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the abuse online towards Indigenous Australians was on the rise.

“ESafety has recorded a small but noticeable rise in the proportion of adult cyber abuse complaints from First Nations people in the first half of this year,” she told The Australian.

“Only a very small proportion of these relate directly to the voice referendum, however, we anticipate reports are likely to intensify as we approach the voice referendum date. Any increase in reports by First Nations people of online harm is highly concerning, not least because the level of online abuse they experience is already significantly higher than average.”

The eSafety Commission will soon release cyber abuse reports for the first half of this year.

No campaigner and Indigenous businessman Warren Mundine last month revealed his ongoing mental health battles and planned suicide attempts after experiencing relentless social media abuse, which he said included racism.

“There’s continual abuse that happens every day on every platform,” he said.

“I’ve ignored it but it’s become a tsunami of abuse, not by one or two people but by heaps of people every day, people you would think who would have more common sense.” Mr Mundine said he now blocks people who make vicious attacks online.

Warren Mundine. Picture: Adam Yip

A spokesman for the Yes23 campaign said many Indigenous Australians had experienced negative impacts leading up to the referendum.

“There is no doubt Indigenous Australians have been carrying a heavy personal load as this campaign has progressed,” the spokesman said. “People should be able to express their views without being subject to racial abuse. The yes campaign urges everyone to engage in a respectful discussion on the merits of this constitutional change.”

Ms Inman Grant said in the months leading up to the referendum the eSafety commission was working with agencies to combat the growing cyber abuse problem and “quickly remove seriously harmful online abuse”.  

“In March this year, eSafety released a new package of resources to address the most prominent types of online abuse First Nations people face so they can continue accessing the benefits of being online, while reducing the risks,” she said.

In addition to this, the federal government is working on a draft bill to combat misinformation and disinformation online, about which Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has previously said, “Isn’t about the regulator having any power to remove content or order the removal of content. This is about the digital platforms doing what they say they will do in respect of mis- and dis- information”.

The bill which has been met with controversy, seeks to give new powers to the Australian Communications and Media Authority to combat online misinformation — false and inaccurate information that can risk the health and safety of individuals — and disinformation — which is false and designed to mislead.