Australia will do whatever it can to stop the “completely abhorrent” livestreaming of the execution of a U.S. prisoner from being available to view in the country, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday (October 13, 2026).
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A Pentagon official told AFP last week the execution would be streamed live, after U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said “we’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public. “I do not know why anybody would want themselves to watch such an event, let alone sit back and allow potentially kids and families to get access to this,” Mr. Albanese said. Australia’s internet regulator has said it does not have the power to prevent the execution from being shown online. Albanese said it was “not as simple as turning off a light switch”.
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But he said his government would make clear to social media companies that “this has no place in our country”. Albanese’s Environment Minister Murray Watt also said he found the plans “absolutely disgusting”. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said “the livestreaming of an execution is tantamount to a public execution and would breach the absolute prohibition of torture”.
