(14 November 2020) Australia’s peak national library bodies want to see the federal government adopt a policy and strategy for combating misinformation and disinformation among individuals of all ages.
The Australian Libraries and Information Association (ALIA), National and State Libraries Australia (NSLA) and National Archives of Australia all spoke of the looming threat of misinformation and information warfare the country was facing at a nationhood committee hearing on Friday morning.
ALIA chief executive Sue McKerracher said access to the internet was crucial for the nation but so was a strategy to ensure Australians of all ages were able to read and interpret that information.
“What we see is that people are being fooled by fake news, they’re being sucked in by misinformation and what we really need is an education program in Australia, not only for young people because there is something happening in that space, but also for adults to make sure that we are actually addressing those issues,” Ms McKerracher said.
“I’d like to see a recommendation that the federal government work with the Australian Media Literacy Alliance to develop a national policy strategy, a framework and action – a call to action – for media literacy.”
NSLA chairwoman Marie-Louise Ayres, who is also the National Library’s director-general, said she too shared these concerns.
The Canberra Times has the full story here.
