Well, that didn’t go according to plan for Australia’s eSafety Commissioner.
In a sharp rebuke to the country’s growing censorship machine, the Administrative Review Tribunal has ruled in favour of Canadian campaigner Chris “Billboard Chris” Elston, striking down a government order that tried to muzzle him under the Online Safety Act.
What was his crime? A post on X (formerly Twitter) from February 2024 that referred to a controversial WHO “expert” using biologically accurate pronouns. That was apparently enough for the eSafety Commissioner to label it “cyber abuse” and demand X take it down.
X initially refused, then geo-blocked the post in Australia. But Chris fought back — and he won.
The Tribunal found the censorship order was unjustified, and set it aside. A clear win for free speech.
“This is a victory not just for Billboard Chris, but for every Australian—and indeed every citizen who values the fundamental right to free speech.”
— Paul Coleman, ADF International
This isn’t just a win for one man with a billboard and a backbone — it’s a warning shot across the bow of Australia’s censorship regime. And it comes at a time when even the U.S. State Department is raising eyebrows at the powers our government has handed its so-called “eSafety” watchdog.
Chris said it best:
“The government does not have authority to silence peaceful expression… My post should never have been censored.”
Amen to that!
Here is an interview between Avi Yemini of Rebel News and Billboard Chris on his victory.
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