Former senior health official urges misinformation Bill be ‘rejected in its entirety’

An infectious diseases physician and senior health official in Australia’s COVID-19 response has issued a stark warning about the dangers of “weaponising” misinformation.

Dr Nick Coatsworth, who played a key role as Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Senior Medical Advisor during the pandemic, has called for the Australian Government’s revamped misinformation bill to be “rejected in its entirety.”

Now serving as the Australian Patients Association’s (APA) Ambassador for Health Reform, Dr Coatsworth expressed concerns that the proposed bill, intended to curb the spread of misinformation and disinformation, could ultimately suppress legitimate debate, leading to even greater harm.

The bill, if passed, would require digital platforms to demonstrate that they are actively identifying and preventing misinformation and disinformation, subject to the approval of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). Failure to comply could result in hefty fines, reaching up to 5% of a platform’s global revenue.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Dr Coatsworth voiced his concerns, saying “The branding of legitimate debate on COVID as misinformation both during the pandemic and ongoing has provoked me to write a submission to the Senate Committee overseeing the Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation Bill. This bill should be rejected in its entirety.”

Dr Coatsworth went on to highlight the bill’s potential to stifle public discourse, citing its broad definition of ‘serious harm’ as particularly troubling.

“In the Bill’s definition of ‘serious harm,’ the following phrase is used: ‘harm to public health in Australia, including to the efficacy of preventative health measures in Australia.’

“It’s quite astonishing to me that after the pandemic, when we are all becoming acutely aware of ‘facts’ that changed over the course of the pandemic ( including the nature of airborne spread, amongst many others), that we would find our parliament debating a Bill where any number of legitimate concerns about public health policy could be branded misinformation by the government or the scientific orthodoxy of the moment,” he continued.

While acknowledging that misinformation does indeed cause harm, Dr Coatsworth emphasised the risks of misusing the term to quash open dialogue.

“The weaponisation of misinformation as a term to shut down debate causes even greater harm. This bill does the latter,” he emphasised.

He concluded by urging Australians to take action: “Let’s teach our kids critical thought and how to question and debate, not how to dismiss or reject others’ opinions or ideas with random accusations of misinformation.

“I’d strongly encourage Australians to do something they may never have done before and submit to the Senate Inquiry. Even if it’s a short paragraph expressing deep concern about what this Bill represents.”

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