A senator has warned Australians of rumours circulating in Canberra of plans to ban X after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was considering blocking Elon Musk’s free speech platform.
United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet, who has consistently opposed internet censorship and is attempting to enshrine free speech in the Constitution, said on Friday he had heard “discussions are taking place at high levels about permanently banning X”.
“Needless to say if they attempt something like that the public backlash should be swift, fierce, and unmistakable,” he said.
I’m hearing rumours that discussions are taking place at high levels about permanently banning X. Needless to say if they attempt something like that the public backlash should be swift, fierce, and unmistakable.
— Senator Babet (@senatorbabet) January 9, 2026
In a separate post Mr Babet criticised Mr Starmer for calling for “all options to be on the table” to force X to stop its AI chatbot Grok from “digitally undressing” women amid far-left activist and corporate media-driven outrage over the images.
“Banning communication and the free flow of ideas contrary to the approved government narrative is and has always been the goal of all tyrants throughout history,” Mr Babet wrote.
US Republican congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna responded to the prospect of a UK ban on X by saying she was drafting legislation to “sanction not only Starmer, but Britain as a whole”, calling the potential move a “political war against Elon Musk and free speech”.
Mr Babet’s post about the potential X ban came on the same day as Labor MP Josh Burns told ABC News the government’s new Royal Commission on anti-Semitism and social cohesion had to look at how it could prevent “online hate”.
Federal Labor MP Josh Burns says social media platforms must be held accountable for the spread of hate and antisemitism.
He calls on eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant and Royal Commissioner Virginia Bell to examine the online behaviour of large accounts that spread hate. pic.twitter.com/D09yyRf6oL
— Australians vs. The Agenda (@ausvstheagenda) January 8, 2026
“The consequences for people spreading hate online have been extremely minimal, and I’m not sure the tech platforms and the social media companies have been accountable,” he said.
“I know the eSafety Commissioner is looking at this and is going to be providing advice, but I would also hope that the Commission has a look at online forms of anti-Semitism and hate, because it is a cesspool on social media and different people are having huge platforms to spread hate.”
The possible X ban comes after Australia included the platform in its social media ban for under-16s but not far-left rival Bluesky, and following repeated threats by eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant to fine X unless it complied with her censorship demands.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to recall parliament early to attempt to pass new “hate speech” laws in response to the Bondi massacre, which critics say fail to address the problem of radical Islamic terrorism, and would not have stopped the ISIS-inspired gunmen.
Header image: Left, Julie Inman Grant. Right, Ralph Babet (Facebook).
