Anthony Albanese has warned tech billionaire Elon Musk not to interfere with the upcoming Australian federal elections.
“We have foreign interference laws in this country, and Australian elections are a matter for Australians,” Albanese told Nine Newspapers, as reported 9News.
“I have no intention of being a … commentator on what people overseas want to engage in.
“People will make their own judgments and have their own views about that,” he added.
The Federal Election is expected to be no later than 17 May, according to the ABC.
This comes after Musk has flexed his power and influence in politics, using his influence to help return Donald Trump into US office.
More recently, in the social media space reports suggested the tech mogul might be eyeing TikTok’s US operations, with Chinese officials allegedly considering selling the platform to Musk as a way to avoid an outright ban in the US.
TikTok, of course, has dismissed the claims as baseless, calling them “pure fiction”, but the prospect of Musk entering the mix has already set tongues wagging.
Meanwhile, on X, Elon Musk’s comments quickly dominated the platform’s trending topics.
Among his inflammatory comments posted include: “Exactly. Climate change risk is real, just much slower than alarmists claim. The immense loss of homes in LA is primarily due to: 1. Nonsensical overregulation that prevented creating fire breaks and doing brush clearing. 2. Bad governance at the state and local level that resulted in a shortage of water.”
Musk also posted: “DEI means people DIE” in response to another comment that shared the same sentiment.
Musk’s blame for Democratic governance and diversity policies for the disaster eclipsed scientific discussions about climate change, creating a polarised public debate.
The Pacific Palisades fires, which have destroyed 10,000 structures and displaced 150,000 residents, underscore the high stakes of crisis communication in the digital age. Public agencies still rely on X for real-time updates, but the platform’s shifting dynamics have created challenges for disseminating trustworthy information.
See also:
Elon Musk and the TikTok buyout: A potential game-changer for social media
Elon Musk’s wildfire comments expose social media’s role in crisis communication
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Top image: Anthony Albanese