Combatting Mis- and Dis-information: Lessons from the Australian Voice

Abstract

One need not study anti-Indigenous racism, anti-EDI, anti-immigration, anti-Black, anti-2SLGBTQIA+ discourses, nor engage in qualitative or quantitative analysis, to understand how effective such political discourses or campaigns are in changing public sentiment and ultimately influencing voter behavior. If we simply open our eyes, scroll social media, or listen to conversations on the street corner or in the local coffee shop, we see the impact around us. Examples like the Australian referendum readily demonstrate dominant trends converging with, and exacerbating, long-standing setter-colonial denial, socio-political divisions, the normalization of anti-Indigenous racism, and the information divide which creates increasing vulnerability among voter bases. As we look towards the future, we suggest that the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum is an opportunity to reflect on the unbridled powers of mis- and disinformation and the manner in which this growing divide is impacting our abilities to deliberate truth or engage in meaningful discussions of issues and the political process, broadly speaking.