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See below the response I received from Senator Michaelia Cash this morning, to my email addressed to Anthony Albanese and others on which she was included.

(Although it must be remembered the Morrison Government previously supported disinformation/misinformation laws, see this Media Release from March 2022: https://www.paulfletcher.com.au/media-releases/new-disinformation-laws)

Email from Michaelia Cash:

Thank you for your email.

I want to reaffirm that the Liberal Party is strongly opposing Labor’s planned censorship laws.

In my opinion, how dare Mr Albanese attack Australians’ right to free speech. Mr Albanese MUST be stopped before it is too late.

Let me assure you that it was the Labor members in the House, including Mr Albanese, who voted for this bill. The Coalition members did NOT. The Coalition firmly believes that this Bill represents an attack on the free speech of Australians.

Labor’s law is a bad law, and I assure you that under Peter Dutton, the Coalition will not support Labor’s Misinformation Bill. We will not support Labor’s attack on free speech. Free speech is fundamental to our democratic society and the Coalition will always defend it.

We’re now witnessing the Government trying to rush this Bill through the Senate and avoid public scrutiny of their planned new censorship laws.

Many Australians will recall all the times the Prime Minister and his MPs referred to any comments they didn’t like in the Voice referendum debate as ‘misinformation”. If these laws had been in place last year, there is no doubt Labor would have used them in an attempt to stifle debate.

We’ve seen religious leaders, senior lawyers, human rights and civil liberties groups all come out against Labor’s Bill. Thousands of submissions have been made to the Senate inquiry, but not published. So much for Mr Albanese’s promise of transparency.

If you would like to please sign the petition now to tell the Albanese Labor Government to stop their attacks on free speech in Australia.

I can assure you that as a member of the Liberal Party, along with my colleagues, I will NOT be voting for this Bill. It is Labor members who are voting for the Bill.

Thank you for raising this important issue with me.

https://www.binthebill.au/

Kind regards

Michaelia Cash

Senator the Hon. Michaelia Cash

SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Shadow Attorney-General

Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations

Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate

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so if as Cash says, Dutton opposes the bill, why did he abstain instead of voting against it ?

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Looks like Dutton is listed as a 'no' here?

https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Chamber_documents/HoR/Divisions/details?id=2368

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I stand corrected ! I'm sure he was listed as abstaining when I looked at one stage. Oh, well :)

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Yes Bryan, you are correct in saying that because we were initially all misled as it was not reported correctly. It took an independent media woman to hunt it down. Matthew Coory interviews her on his "Other Side" Channel.

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and here we are where 20% of the workforce is a public servant, and we can't get even a vote count in parliament correct. SMH.

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Yes, it's utterley shocking, given the importance and number count. The "Other Side" interviews the journalist (sorry, can't remember her name) and they both go over it like terrier dogs...... giving it a good account. It was because of this woman, that the error was corrected. Utterley appalling.

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One significant person was absent from voting... then the voting wasn't reported accurately.... Some good aussie reporting around this topic, see Damian Coory's channel: The Other Side - we enjoy his reporting which provides another view to counter mainstream..... really worth subscribing to this independent journalism;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w34KVkLw38

or The Other Side website:

https://www.othersidetv.com.au

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Thanks for the tip Rose, will check out The Other Side.

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This is interesting…so Dutton, the leader of the Liberal Pary, abstained on an earlier vote?

In her response to me Michaelia Cash said “Labor’s law is a bad law, and I assure you that under Peter Dutton, the Coalition will not support Labor’s Misinformation Bill.”

Just how firm is Dutton on protecting the free speech of Australians?

I would say not very…

Dutton is no friend of people questioning taxpayer-funded vaccination policy, he is definitely part of the problem.

The actions of the Coalition under Scott Morrison during the Covid debacle, and before re the implementation of the No Jab, No Pay coercive vaccination law for children in 2016 must be investigated.

For info, see my paper Misfeasance in Public Office? The Destruction of Voluntary Informed Consent for Vaccination, June 2024: https://vaccinationispolitical.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/misfeasance-in-public-office-the-destruction-of-voluntary-informed-consent-for-vaccination.pdf

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Elizabeth, please see my comment above to Bryan. Peter Dutton is firm and he DID infact vote, so the question remains on such an historically profound vote, why was the error made in the first instance? Why did it take an independent journalist to pick that error up? The count has since been corrected.

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Thanks for reminding readers of the attempt by Scomo to get similar legislation through in 2022 (legislation that Ms Cash would no doubt have supported:)), and how it would be naive to imagine this is a party political issue.

I recall that lots of draconian legislation (relating to internet use) was brought in (in the guise of enhancing community safety) during the long Tory rule in Britain that recently ended. I remind myself of this when I see and hear conservative youtubers dumping on the Starmer government.

Think of pollies as mere stage actors in a play that has been written, and which is being directed, by undeclared persons from without. One actor steps out and another moves in place using the same script.

Only fools get excited by election results.:)

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Election results...what a joke... The uni party just taking it in turns.

Davos Man Starmer now running the show, after the Tories who were riddled with WEF influence...as we are too with our treacherous governments in Australia.

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23 hrs agoLiked by Rebekah Barnett

Brilliant news, made my day.

And made all those calls to senators' offices well worth it - thanks to everyone who did likewise.

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19 hrs ago·edited 19 hrs ago

Yes the callers likely helped ....so not just the Senators who deserve praise, all heroes....& I would bet some Senators were offered MUCH fat jobs after Politics to support it....

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yes - those with WEFer connections, no doubt.

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22 hrs agoLiked by Rebekah Barnett

Thank you Rebekah, I am still on the trail of Greens because it is time they chose which side of the battle they are on; the side of those who consider us cattle, or those who see us as human beings. I know one who was, I believe, a very good hearted person who may have been silenced by threats. Adam Bandt needs to send a message to Australians that Greens are not lapdogs for any ruling party. The Greens will reap the benefits at the next election if they show such integrity.

I am still buoyed by your news and grateful to you and Aligned Council of Australia for the hard work all of you have done. God bless you.

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People started voting for the Greens in big number (big enough for them to hold the balance of power in the upper house) as a consequence of the msm spooking the public about AGW. They do poorly on issues around social justice and often just support the sitting government on non environmental matters as a trade off for getting traction with some of their environmental bills.

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19 hrs agoLiked by Rebekah Barnett

Senators David Pocock, Fatima Payman, Lidia Thorpe, Pocock, Tyrrell, Payne, Lambie and Rennick THANKYOU, THANKYOU, THANKYOU.....what a relief!

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So they should & prove their politicians

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23 hrs agoLiked by Rebekah Barnett

Good.

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19 hrs agoLiked by Rebekah Barnett

Rebekah, Alison Bevege, Andrew Lowenthal....& I am sure others..great work...ALL heroes too in my book.

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Even Lidia Thorpe doesn’t trust her own Leftard pollies! Imagine that!!!

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author

I’m glad she understood the point that this bill is bad for everyone and that governments will always use whatever laws allow them to squash dissent.

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Ha ha ha. You really think she 'understands'? More likely she is just pissing someone in the ALP off whom she is in conflict with.:)

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Always believed it would be from start

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