Retiring Parliament speaker warns of social media edits distorting political
Outgoing Speaker Maree Edwards warns that some Victorian MPs are using edited social media clips to misrepresent parliamentary discussions.
In her valedictory speech, retiring Parliament Speaker Maree Edwards warned about social media edits. Some politicians are using social media to misrepresent discussions in the lower house.
Politicians can also bypass rules by speaking directly to cameras instead of through the chair. Social media has become flooded with misinformation, false information, and AI-generated fake content, Edwards warned.
These threats affect professional and personal reputations in ways never seen before. Edwards served 16 years as an MP before becoming Speaker in 2022.
She urged the next presiding officers to address this problem in updated standing orders.
- 16 years
- Years as MP
- 2022
- Speaker since
- Maree Edwards
- Speaker role
- Bendigo West
- Location
Why it mattersWhen politicians manipulate social media to misrepresent debates, voters cannot make informed choices about their representatives.
AustraliaIn Victoria, MPs are increasingly using edited social media to distort parliamentary debates, affecting democratic processes before elections.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 49 min ago
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