Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter says Facebook’s ‘dummy-spit’ over proposed Federal Government laws that would make them pay for news, is a golden opportunity for the Australian Government to build its own social media platform.
Mr Katter admits it may take time for Australians to migrate to a new platform but it would have ongoing benefits for democracy and sovereignty.
“This is an opportunity to build something by creating an Australia social media platform, like Facebook, and we should not be held to ransom by a jumped-up, super-rich, American know-all,” he said.
“In Queensland we built and owned the railways, the electricity network and we built the coal industry, the aluminium industry and the tourism industry.
“I’ve been here in federal parliament almost 30 years and as far as I can tell we’ve built nothing. But we have sold off all the things that the great governments before us built.”
Mr Katter is a supporter of making the tech giants pay for news as most of the newspapers in the Kennedy Electorate have closed in the last decade.
“Without a news service, without a local media, the town ceases to exist,” he said.
“Democracy can’t operate without a free flow of information, that’s what Theophanous v Herald and Weekly Times held. Well, this week we’ve learned China is holding a lot of our defence information and secrets, as well as Australian Tax and company files, and that an American company can turn off the tap on Australian news.
“I say the American tech-giants should leave town immediately. We’ll run our own affairs thank you. An Australian-owned social media would restore the power of the Australian media.
“The government-run social media would have to be run by an independent board and have a charter.”
Good ideas but Bob wasn’t in Federal parliament in 1975 so he can be excused for that one but I believe he knows about the Lima affair. Editor
Whilst the devil might be in the detail, the idea is sound, I’m quite sure that if 20million participants suddenly jumped ship Face Book would have a mini accident in their corporate pants……possible start of the “rot”.
Incidentally i have never subscribed to Face Book.
GRAND IDEA, BOB, but how long before the Jumped up control freaks in Canberra will demand even worse control over what you are PERMITTED to post. All good ideas ever hatched in Australia have either been sold to other countries or squashed by our LAME BRAINED POLITICIANS. How we manage to recruit such absolute NOBODY”S eludes me?The picture of the current dim wit with a fist full of dollars does explain how the country is run. From one financial disaster to the next.??
And while your at it Bob lets get rid of the LIMA AGREEMENT you all signed back in 1975 that destroyed our manufacturing and everything else we used to build , get rid of the W H O THE U N / THE PARIS ACCORD think of all the money we could save to get this country back up and working again and while your at it get rid of this COVID SCAM / MASK that do nothing except kill you from bacterial Pneumonia and destroy these so called vaccines that are killing and maiming people and the PCR Test that does nothing except give false readings to keep this scam going .So there just a few things i reckon are a bit more important then stupid f/book / twitter and instagram there days are numbered the people are slowly waking up and they will destroy themselves. The people are tired pissed of and sick of being lied to by the Politicians and there Globalist Agender one world order crap . Just get this Country back on Track and Working Again That Would be nice Bob Thank You .
The Govt run social media would be…… the Australian equivalent of the Bloody Broadcasting Cr*pfest that is currently plaguing the UK. ‘Independent’ it is NOT! It’s now a mouthpiece for Gates et al and is browbeating people over the age of 75, threatening fines for non payment of their licence fee. A thoroughly nasty organisation.
“The government-run social media would have to be run by an independent board and have a charter.” Yep, ’cause that’s worked out so well with the ABC. Yet another government department – funded by the long-suffering taxpayers – that will end up just another left-wing shit show. No thanks.