MAD Must Go with Dr Julie Sladden

Join us Thursday 24 October at 7.30PM AEDT for our 3rd webinar in our MAD Must Go series. Our very special guest for this session is Dr Julie Sladden, and she will be in conversation with Jody Clune and Katie Ashby-Koppens. 

In a free society, the right to express ideas and opinions without fear of government censorship is fundamental. The proposed Communications Legislation Amendment (Combating Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024 (MAD Bill) risks stifling open dialogue and preventing Australians from accessing diverse viewpoints. We must protect the integrity of what we can say, what we can share, and what we choose to believe.

The MAD Bill threatens to change the landscape of what we can say online by giving the government unprecedented authority to control what information is allowed to circulate online. But the government won’t police online comments itself, through its regulator ACMA it will have the digital platforms enforce censor online discourse through industry codes.

Under this MAD Bill, government-approved media outlets may continue to operate freely, while independent voices—journalists, commentators, and everyday Australians who question or challenge official narratives—will be silenced.

In a healthy democracy, diverse opinions and independent reporting are vital for holding power to account. The MAD Bill risks shutting down those who offer alternative perspectives or critical analysis, making space only for government-sanctioned 'truth.' When only approved voices are allowed to speak, the public loses access to the full picture—essential for informed decision-making. This is why the MAD Bill MUST Go. 

We understand that key to the success of the MAD Bill being quashed is bringing our six crossbencher Senators on side. Two of those Senators are Senator Jacqui Lambie, and Senator Tammy Terrell, both Tasmanian Senators. Julie resides in Tasmania and has insight into the dynamics of her local community, so we look forward to unpacking a little bit more about these two key Senators with Julie next Thursday evening. 

A little more about Julie;

Dr Julie Sladden is a medical doctor and freelance writer with over 25 years clinical experience in Australia and the UK, working in General Practice, Psychiatry, Emergency Medicine and Medical Education. She is a passionate advocate for professionalism, ethics and transparency in healthcare.

When the Government imposed mandates in 2021, Julie refused the jab, closed her practice and started writing and speaking against the Government overreach, censorship in medicine, and calling for a return of the foundational principle of informed consent in medicine. 

Her articles have been published in The Spectator Australia, Brownstone, Epoch Times, The Light,  and The Daily Declaration. In 2022 she was elected to Local Government as Councillor for West Tamar in Tasmania.  She works for Russell Broadbent MP as an adviser, and is Co-Director and Co-Founding Member of Australians for Science and Freedom.  In March 2024 she ran as a Liberal candidate for Bass in the Tasmanian State Election, and narrowly missed out on the final seat, despite the AMA labelling her views as 'dangerous' and 'misleading'. Julie was also a significant contributor to the Australian Senate Committee hearing looking at the Terms of Reference for a Royal Commission into the Australian response to COVID-19.

A reminder, everyone who registers for this webinar will receive a copy of the recording once ready for distribution.