Skip to main content

Site navigation

  • University of Technology Sydney home
  • Home

    Home
  • For students

  • For industry

  • Research

Explore

  • Courses
  • Events
  • News
  • Stories
  • People

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Study at UTS

    • arrow_right_alt Find a course
    • arrow_right_alt Course areas
    • arrow_right_alt Undergraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Postgraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Research Masters and PhD
    • arrow_right_alt Online study and short courses
  • Student information

    • arrow_right_alt Current students
    • arrow_right_alt New UTS students
    • arrow_right_alt Graduates (Alumni)
    • arrow_right_alt High school students
    • arrow_right_alt Indigenous students
    • arrow_right_alt International students
  • Admissions

    • arrow_right_alt How to apply
    • arrow_right_alt Entry pathways
    • arrow_right_alt Eligibility
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for students

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Apply for a coursearrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Scholarshipsarrow_right_alt
  • Featured industries

    • arrow_right_alt Agriculture and food
    • arrow_right_alt Defence and space
    • arrow_right_alt Energy and transport
    • arrow_right_alt Government and policy
    • arrow_right_alt Health and medical
    • arrow_right_alt Corporate training
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Tech Central
    • arrow_right_alt Case studies
    • arrow_right_alt Research
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for industry

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Partner with usarrow_right_alt
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Explore our research
    • arrow_right_alt Research centres and institutes
    • arrow_right_alt Graduate research
    • arrow_right_alt Research partnerships
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for research

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Research centres and institutesarrow_right_alt
  • University of Technology Sydney home
Explore the University of Technology Sydney
Category Filters:
University of Technology Sydney home University of Technology Sydney home
  1. home
  2. arrow_forward_ios ... Newsroom
  3. arrow_forward_ios ... 2024
  4. arrow_forward_ios 12
  5. arrow_forward_ios Wrapping up 2024

Wrapping up 2024

10 December 2024
A woman's head with a stacked pile of books and clock

Welcome to our final newsletter for 2024. It’s been a busy year for the Centre, with several major research reports and many submissions to government inquiries and consultations.

One area of particular attention for us has been the Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation Bill, which was abandoned by the government the day before the senate committee was due to report on the bill. This came as little surprise. In our submissions and evidence to the committee, we raised concerns about the bill’s structure and provisions, many of which are reflected in comments from the committee members.

The abandonment of the bill raises the question about what might come next. Taking an optimistic view, we see this as an opportunity to consider whether a broad-based approach to platform regulation, focused on transparency and holding platforms to account for their systems, processes and decision-making, would provide a more fruitful outcome.

Some of the dissenting comments in the committee’s report point towards this possibility. Senator David Pocock, for example, states that ‘Privacy Act changes should be implemented to create a stronger base for all other legislative changes we make to our digital ecosystem. From there, we can take a systems approach to regulating platforms rather than trying to address individual issues one by one.’ The Greens argued that ‘The Government must now turn its mind to comprehensive reforms that put responsibility on digital giants to make their platforms safe for all users, including when it comes to mis and disinformation.’ And the Nationals recommend that the government adopt the recommendations of the Senate Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media, the first of which calls for all large social media platforms operating in Australia to meet a minimum set of transparency requirements.

Sacha Molitorisz and I argue for a broad-based regulatory approach to platform accountability in a paper that we presented last week at the Australia and New Zealand Communications Association annual conference. Of course, moving forward with a new approach requires a fair amount of political will, but it is likely to garner more support than the narrow focus of the failed bill. While Michelle Rowland has indicated that the government will seek to impose a statutory duty on digital platforms, the scope of that duty is yet to be articulated and it is unclear whether it would cover misinformation.

At the conference, I also presented some findings from our project on the implications of generative AI for Wikipedia and the open knowledge ecosystem. This is also, in part, the topic of our latest Double Take podcast – in which I had the pleasure of interviewing Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia. More on that from Alexia below.

Also, this week Monica presents CMT’s latest report – the final of three reports in our Regional Journalism project in which we’ve been examining the flow of regional news and information into metropolitan news markets, and Kieran reports on CMT’s participation in a major public event at UTS – the  latest instalment of the Global Game Changers series on information integrity, AI and the law.

Read it in full here.

Michael Davis profile picture

Michael Davis, CMT Research Fellow

Share
Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share this on LinkedIn
Back to CMT news

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation and the Boorooberongal People of the Dharug Nation upon whose ancestral lands our campuses now stand. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands. 

University of Technology Sydney

City Campus

15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007

Get in touch with UTS

Follow us

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Facebook

A member of

  • Australian Technology Network
Use arrow keys to navigate within each column of links. Press Tab to move between columns.

Study

  • Find a course
  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
  • How to apply
  • Scholarships and prizes
  • International students
  • Campus maps
  • Accommodation

Engage

  • Find an expert
  • Industry
  • News
  • Events
  • Experience UTS
  • Research
  • Stories
  • Alumni

About

  • Who we are
  • Faculties
  • Learning and teaching
  • Sustainability
  • Initiatives
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Campus and locations
  • Awards and rankings
  • UTS governance

Staff and students

  • Current students
  • Help and support
  • Library
  • Policies
  • StaffConnect
  • Working at UTS
  • UTS Handbook
  • Contact us
  • Copyright © 2025
  • ABN: 77 257 686 961
  • CRICOS provider number: 00099F
  • TEQSA provider number: PRV12060
  • TEQSA category: Australian University
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility