Intelligence agencies should report on foreign interests in ‘activist groups’, Australian coal lobby group argues
An Australian coal industry lobby group wants national intelligence agencies to report on any involvement of foreign interests in unnamed “activist groups” it claims are attempting to undermine the nation’s prosperity.Coal Australia also wants the government to broaden restrictions on foreign donations to stop money being channelled to Australia-based environmental groups and create powers to terminate grants and rescind charity status to organisations who aren’t transparent about funding sources.The wave of demands are outlined in one of almost 150 submissions to a parliamentary inquiry examining the prevalence of climate change-related misinformation and disinformation.The lobby group, whose members include Whitehaven and Yancoal, argue that Australia’s prosperity was being “compromised” by unnamed activist groups backed by foreign donors.It recommended that the federal electoral and intelligence agencies be required to submit a joint report to parliament each year on the supposed threats to Australia’s energy security, including from “malicious” foreign interference and the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation.The submission did not name specific agencies but the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is responsible for monitoring foreign interference.The first report should include an audit of all funding to the groups, it continued, which are not captured under existing foreign donation rules.“Such reporting would also ensure maximum community awareness and vigilance of manipulative and deceptive campaign tactics,” the chief executive of Coal Australia, Stuart Bocking, wrote.The coal lobby’s push came as the Human Rights Commission and environmental groups warned the inquiry of the corrosive influence of climate changed-related mis- and disinformation.The commission said false narratives about climate change delay urgent action to combat global heating, erode trust in science and institutions and distort the public’s understanding of the challenge.“False claims about climate change, shared either in good faith or deceptively, can result in community polarisation, decreased support for climate-change mitigation policies and obstruction of political action,” the submission read.“This undermines public information and debate, which in turn affects the realisation of the human right to a healthy, clean and sustainable environment.”The commission recommended the Albanese government pursue laws to combat the spread of misinformation and disinformation online after abandoning plans in the last term of parliament due to a lack of political support.However, it said any new laws must have the “upmost regard for free speech”, suggesting the previous attempt failed to strike the right balance.In another submission, the Environment Defenders’ Office called for a blanket national ban on fossil fuel advertising as recommended by the UN special rapporteur on climate change, Elisa Morgera.Morgera lodged her own submission to the inquiry, which summarised other recommendations to governments put forward in other reports. That included the criminalisation of “greenwashing” by fossil fuel companies and amplification of it by media companies.“There is a need for states to reckon with the impacts of climate disinformation tactics and the prolonged six-decade failure to take effective climate action, compounded by widespread misinformation,” she wrote.“In order to support an informed, transparent and participatory process for defossilization, states need to ‘defossilize’ information systems, to protect human rights in the formation of public opinion and debate from the long-standing undue commercial influence of the fossil fuel industry.”The inquiry will hold its first public hearing on 29 September.A final report is due on 4 February.
Coal Australia also wants government to broaden restrictions on foreign donations to stop money flowing to environmental groupsAn Australian coal industry lobby group wants national intelligence agencies to report on any involvement of foreign interests in unnamed “activist groups” it claims are attempting to undermine the nation’s prosperity.Coal Australia also wants the government to broaden restrictions on foreign donations to stop money being channelled to Australia-based environmental groups and create powers to terminate grants and rescind charity status to organisations who aren’t transparent about funding sources. Continue reading...
An Australian coal industry lobby group wants national intelligence agencies to report on any involvement of foreign interests in unnamed “activist groups” it claims are attempting to undermine the nation’s prosperity.
Coal Australia also wants the government to broaden restrictions on foreign donations to stop money being channelled to Australia-based environmental groups and create powers to terminate grants and rescind charity status to organisations who aren’t transparent about funding sources.
The wave of demands are outlined in one of almost 150 submissions to a parliamentary inquiry examining the prevalence of climate change-related misinformation and disinformation.
The lobby group, whose members include Whitehaven and Yancoal, argue that Australia’s prosperity was being “compromised” by unnamed activist groups backed by foreign donors.
It recommended that the federal electoral and intelligence agencies be required to submit a joint report to parliament each year on the supposed threats to Australia’s energy security, including from “malicious” foreign interference and the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation.
The submission did not name specific agencies but the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is responsible for monitoring foreign interference.
The first report should include an audit of all funding to the groups, it continued, which are not captured under existing foreign donation rules.
“Such reporting would also ensure maximum community awareness and vigilance of manipulative and deceptive campaign tactics,” the chief executive of Coal Australia, Stuart Bocking, wrote.
The coal lobby’s push came as the Human Rights Commission and environmental groups warned the inquiry of the corrosive influence of climate changed-related mis- and disinformation.
The commission said false narratives about climate change delay urgent action to combat global heating, erode trust in science and institutions and distort the public’s understanding of the challenge.
“False claims about climate change, shared either in good faith or deceptively, can result in community polarisation, decreased support for climate-change mitigation policies and obstruction of political action,” the submission read.
“This undermines public information and debate, which in turn affects the realisation of the human right to a healthy, clean and sustainable environment.”
The commission recommended the Albanese government pursue laws to combat the spread of misinformation and disinformation online after abandoning plans in the last term of parliament due to a lack of political support.
However, it said any new laws must have the “upmost regard for free speech”, suggesting the previous attempt failed to strike the right balance.
In another submission, the Environment Defenders’ Office called for a blanket national ban on fossil fuel advertising as recommended by the UN special rapporteur on climate change, Elisa Morgera.
Morgera lodged her own submission to the inquiry, which summarised other recommendations to governments put forward in other reports. That included the criminalisation of “greenwashing” by fossil fuel companies and amplification of it by media companies.
“There is a need for states to reckon with the impacts of climate disinformation tactics and the prolonged six-decade failure to take effective climate action, compounded by widespread misinformation,” she wrote.
“In order to support an informed, transparent and participatory process for defossilization, states need to ‘defossilize’ information systems, to protect human rights in the formation of public opinion and debate from the long-standing undue commercial influence of the fossil fuel industry.”
The inquiry will hold its first public hearing on 29 September.
A final report is due on 4 February.