ESafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has dropped the agency’s legal pursuit of Elon Musk in its bid to get his social media platform, X, to take down videos of the Wakeley church stabbing.
Instead, they will argue the matter before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Last month, Federal Court Justice Geoffrey Kennett lifted a temporary order to hide the videos.
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The social media platform’s lawyers argued that the order – which was a request to take down videos worldwide – was an overreach, while the company was already hiding the videos in Australia.
Stabbing victim Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel appeared for X, arguing that he didn’t object to the video and that he supported the right to free speech.
In a statement, Inman Grant said: “Today I have decided to consolidate action concerning my Class 1 removal notice to X Corp in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. After weighing multiple considerations, including litigation across multiple cases, I have considered this option likely to achieve the most positive outcome for the online safety of all Australians, especially children.
“As a result, I have decided to discontinue the proceedings in the Federal Court against X Corp in relation to the matter of extreme violent material depicting the real-life graphic stabbing of a religious leader at Wakeley in Sydney on 15 April 2024.”