Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024

The majority voted in favour of government amendments (1) to (23), which means they will now be included in the bill.

What do these amendments do?

According to the supplementary explanatory memorandum:

These amendments provide some additional measures for Part 2 of Schedule 9 to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (BSA), to be inserted by item 2 of Schedule 1 to the Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024 (the Bill):

a. The definition of professional news content is to apply also to news content produced by a person who is subject to the rules of the Community Radio Broadcasting Codes of Practice.

b. Digital communications platform providers will be required to publish information regarding their policy or policy approach for supporting access by researchers to data relating to misinformation and disinformation on the platform.

c. The ACMA will have power to make digital platform rules to establish one or more data access schemes , under which independent researchers who have been approved to conduct a particular research project relating to misinformation or disinformation on digital communications platforms, be given access to data held by digital communications platform providers for the purposes of that project . These provisions will be proposed new Subdivision BA in Division 2 of Part 2 of Schedule 9.

d. As soon as possible after the first anniversary of the commencement of Schedule 9, there must be a review of the operation of new Subdivision BA.

e. The triennial statutory review currently provided for at clause 70 must be an independent review.