Australia in talks with big tech over US execution as One Nation split

Australia is in conversation with big tech to prevent the livestream of a United States firing squad execution on their platforms as the matter divides One Nation.

The eSafety Commission admitted it could not prevent the death penalty of mass murderer Nidal Hasan on December 3 from being shown in Australia, leaving the federal government putting the onus on tech companies.

Communications Minister Anika Wells has met with Meta’s global head of safety on Wednesday to urge them not to livestream it on Facebook and Instagram.

“I met with Meta, the vice-president and global head of safety of Meta yesterday and made that point directly,” she told the ABC.

“We will work together with companies like Meta to do everything we can to make sure Australians don’t have to see this.”

Hasan, a 56-year-old former army psychiatrist, was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring dozens more at a military base in 2009. His execution has been scheduled for December 3.

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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the execution would be available for the public to watch, but President Donald Trump is reportedly considering whether to call it off.

The impending possibility of the execution being shown has raised concern across the globe and in Canberra alike, with Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to “pick up the phone” and call Trump.

Pauline Hanson took a different stance, saying that while she believed the majority of Australians did not want to watch the execution, the decision should be left up to them.

“If we’re talking about freedom of speech or freedom of what people want to do, it’s up their choice if they want to,” she said.

“It’s something I’m not interested in doing myself.”

Her right-hand man, Barnaby Joyce, is at odds with her stance and told Politico’s podcast that the government should rush through a law to block the livestream rather than conflating it with its digital duty of care package.

Labor has used the situation has a case for why the package, which would put the onus on companies to ensure their platforms are a safe environment, should be passed into law.

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Hanson said Joyce has the right to do what he wants.

“You know, that’s Barnaby,” she said.

“If he wants to move legislation to ban it in Australia to be seen, well that’s up to Barnaby.”

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has similarly brushed off introducing new ways to respond to the proposed livestream, saying there are existing ways to take down online content.

“I was the law enforcement minister and cyber minister back many years ago when we were doing take downs of ISIS beheadings and we had a way of doing that which was very successful,” he told reporters on Thursday.

“It was very successful and I’m sure that can be done now under the existing powers. So, get on and do it.”