Australia’s Role in Middle East Conflict Raises Questions Amid Growing Disinformation

Australia’s increased involvement in the Middle East conflict has sparked complex questions about the nature of its engagement and responsibilities, occurring at a time when disinformation is spreading and social institutions face erosion from unchecked digital platforms and corporate influence.

These concerns formed the centerpiece of a packed panel discussion titled “Information Wars” at last weekend’s Womadelaide festival, where experts called for stronger regulation of tech giants and greater accountability from both government and media.

The panel, featuring journalist Marian Wilkinson, author Don Watson, and political scientist Professor Christian Downie, warned that failure to properly scrutinize and regulate powerful commercial interests—from fossil fuel companies to AI developers—threatens both planetary health and democratic institutions.

One striking revelation came when panelists noted that Meta, Facebook’s parent company, admitted to an Australian parliamentary inquiry that it spends more on political lobbying in Australia than on fact-checking. This strategy has yielded results, with the Albanese Government abandoning its proposed anti-disinformation legislation last year.

The discussion highlighted a concerning trend: while antisemitism rises in Australia, media outlets like the ABC fail to interrogate the role tech platforms play in amplifying such toxic discourse.

“There is a fatalistic timidity in this government that masquerades as pragmatism,” said Watson, a veteran speechwriter who worked on Paul Keating’s Redfern Address. He criticized the Albanese Government’s approach, suggesting the Prime Minister wakes up “not thinking about what he can do, but thinking ‘can I get another term?'”

Watson traced current problems to when social democratic parties worldwide embraced neoliberalism, triggering “the loss of our collective and social instincts that we have in addition to our individual, visceral, and vengeful instincts.” He contrasted Albanese’s cautious approach with former US President Teddy Roosevelt’s understanding that progressives need to be “ahead of the game or they will get run over.”

The panel noted how language has been debased in political discourse. Watson pointed to Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s recent statement that the morality and legality of US and Israeli bombing attacks on Iran “is a matter for Israel and the US.”

“If it’s not a question for Australia and for Penny Wong, then I don’t know what is,” Watson remarked.

Wilkinson highlighted the media’s failure to adequately question Australia’s involvement in the Middle East conflict, including whether Australian personnel under the AUKUS partnership were aboard the US submarine that sank an Iranian frigate. She expressed concern that journalists weren’t asking basic questions about whether the government had sought advice on the legal position of Australian forces embedded with American assets.

Turning to climate issues, Wilkinson discussed the fossil fuel industry’s ongoing influence, noting the Federal Government’s swift approval of Woodside Energy’s North West Shelf gas processing plant expansion shortly after winning the 2025 election. This decision, she argued, indicates Australia “is going to ride the fossil fuel export train as long as it can” despite Paris Agreement commitments.

The panel explored how corporate interests have utilized social media to polarize climate discussions. Wilkinson referenced British MP Ian Lucas’s work on the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which exposed Facebook’s role in undermining democratic processes, asking: “Why haven’t our politicians learned that these forces really need to be reined in?”

Professor Downie, who co-edited “Climate Obstruction: A Global Assessment,” emphasized that while technological and policy solutions for climate change exist, political inaction persists due to vested interests. He highlighted how public relations firms conduct “astroturfing” – creating fake community groups to manufacture the appearance of public support or opposition.

While individuals can combat disinformation by verifying sources before sharing content, Downie stressed that structural change is essential. This includes empowering watchdogs like the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission to regulate corporate greenwashing and disinformation.

“It really is incumbent on government and on the regulators now to put in place rules that just say, ‘if you’re going to operate in this country, you’ve got to abide by these particular laws,'” Downie concluded.

As Australia navigates its role in global conflicts and confronts climate challenges, the panel’s message was clear: without meaningful regulation of digital platforms and corporate influence, the integrity of our information ecosystem and democratic institutions remains at risk.