As the Federal Election campaign moves into gear the ACT’s peak disability advocacy group is calling for a shift in tone from parties and candidates plus action to tackle rising hate speech, misinformation and disinformation about people with disability including a national summit, a pause on public funding for the ‘X’ twitter platform and work to build evidence on community attitudes, manage the impacts of hate speech and counter its prevalence.
AFI’s Head of Policy, Craig Wallace said “2025 has seen an uptick in hate speech, disinformation and misinformation in both online and offline environments.
“For people with disabilities this means inaccurate commentary scapegoating diversity, equity and inclusion programs and disabled workers, the re-emergence of the “R” word as a degrading term of abuse against people with intellectual and cognitive disability and ill-informed commentary about people with autism.
“This comes on top of toxic discourse surrounding NDIS costs, the COVID pandemic, as well as some aspects of Voluntary Assisted Dying across several years.
“Much of it is incorrect. Australia does not generally have preferential hiring quotas for people with disability, so we need to see an end to misleading derivative commentary about DEI initiatives which support people to find employment. Likewise, there is no evidence that flexible working arrangements for people with disability in the Public Service, like working from home, have harmed the quality of service delivery.
“As we have seen with other groups of Australians a spiral of disinformation does real harm and that is why, as we start our election advocacy, Advocacy for Inclusion is putting forward a policy platform to tackle the rise of hate speech, disinformation and misinformation against people with disability and also calling for Federal politicians to make a reset over the next few weeks.
“We are not calling for curbs on free speech but we do need to counter disinformation with facts and mitigations from harm. Firstly we need to ensure that the election campaign doesn’t make things worse but also prompts governments to stand up responses for people with disability. Specifically, we call on the next Government to:
- Host a national summit on hate speech, disinformation and misinformation against people with disabilities designed to surface its origins and extent, map its harm and impacts and develop strategies to combat it
- Stop rewarding bad behaviour and junk commentary with taxpayer money. For instance, we should withhold sponsored Australian Government content from ‘X’ until its owner stops using the R word as a slur against people with cognitive and intellectual disabilities.
- Introduce a motion early in the life of the next Parliament inviting all MP’s and Senators to affirm the value, life and dignity or disabled Australians and recommit to equal opportunity, diversity, equity and inclusion including in Australian Public Sector employment
- Provide enhanced funding to Federal, State and Territory DPO’s to manage the impacts of hate speech and counter its prevalence, especially against people with intellectual and cognitive disability and people with autism.
- Start national benchmarked community attitudes research to ensure community attitudes work is sound, evidence-based, and results can be measured”, Mr Wallace concluded.
More detail on policies to tackle rising disinformation and hate speech about disability are at Attachment A. You can also check out our campaign video here.
Advocacy for Inclusion’s 2025 Federal election platform includes 9 priorities focused on practical investments for essential services, action on poverty and jobs, Disability Royal Commission responses, NDIS and Foundational Supports, DDA reform and tackling emerging issues like hate speech.
The full platform will be launched at our Federal Election Disability Town Hall from 6pm on Wednesday 16 April 2025 (register now) and you can also catch our election updates on socials including Tik Tok @aficanberra
Media comment: Craig Wallace 0477 200 755
Attachment A
Tackle rising disinformation and hate speech
What is the problem?
Hate speech, disinformation and misinformation about disability is rapidly escalating all around the world, resulting in damage to programs and policies which encourage disability employment and exposing people with disability to an increasing risk of harassment, vilification, bullying and violence.
What is the evidence?
Factually incorrect information about Diversity Equity and Inclusion concepts and programs has spread from the United States disinformation ecosphere into Australian political conversations. Slurs against people with intellectual and cognitive disability have heightened on social media platforms including the use of the ‘R’ word by the owner of the ‘X’ platform and its reemergence in political discourse.
There has been a very rapid escalation in tone, volume and intensity of hateful rhetoric against people with disabilities in the opening months of 2025.
Australia has been through a multiyear toxic debate about NDIS costs which has included people with disabilities being misrepresented as wasteful and criminal. The 5 year COVID pandemic has exposed and amplified harmful discussions about eugenics and the value and quality of life of people with disability
The removal of prohibitions against euthanasia at a Federal Level have also led to devaluing conversations about the value of disabled lives
There is evidence that hate speech in other domains leads to serious harmful real-life outcomes. Hate speech can lead to serious distress, feelings of humiliation and worthlessness and mental health deterioration that can impact on an individual’s ability to participate in the workforce and in the community more broadly. Studies have also confirmed the multiple adverse impacts of hate speech and discrimination including the compounding of other forms of disadvantage such as social isolation or an increased risk of physical illness.
Unlike other communities under duress, for instance after the Voice referendum, the same sex marriage poll and incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia, these events have not prompted Governments and security agencies to stand up policy, program and security responses, messaging and practical assistance for people with disability.
What do we want the next Government to do?
Host a national summit on hate speech, disinformation and misinformation against people with disabilities designed to surface its origins and extent, map its harm and impacts and develop strategies to combat it
Withhold sponsored Australian Government content from ‘X’ until its owner stops using the R word as a slur against people with cognitive and intellectual disabilities
Introduce a motion early in the life of the next Parliament inviting all MP’s and Senators to affirm the value, life and dignity or disabled Australians and recommit to equal opportunity, diversity, equity and inclusion including in Australian Public Sector employment
Provide enhanced funding to Federal, State and Territory DPO’s to manage the impacts of hate speech and counter its prevalence, especially against people with intellectual and cognitive disability and people with autism.
Fund national benchmarked community attitudes research to ensure community attitudes work is sound, evidence-based, and results can be measured
Election comment is authorised by Craig Wallace for Advocacy for Inclusion