Joint Media Release
Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety, Senator the Hon Sarah Henderson
Shadow Assistant Treasurer, Shadow Minister for Financial Services, Hon Kevin Hogan MP
The News Media Bargaining Code was a world-leading initiative of the former Coalition government.
It played a vital role in ensuring that Australian journalism was properly valued online, initially delivering in excess of $200 million to support newsrooms including in the regions.
Yet under Labor, this reform has been left to collapse and Australians are paying the price.
Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety, Sarah Henderson, said today’s announcement is more consultation after years of inaction.
“The Coalition supports a strong and free media sector, but it must be an equal playing field,” Senator Henderson said.
“Big multinational tech companies are now unaccountable for the use of Australian news content, while newsrooms and regional newspapers across the country face uncertainty about their future.”
”After Meta walked away from its commercial deals in March 2024, threatening to withdraw Australian news from its platforms, why didn’t the government simply amend the Code to hold big tech to account regardless of whether they published news content or not?”
”The government’s exposure draft of a new legislative scheme appears to be more concerned about undermining the Coalition’s globally recognised reform than standing up for Australian journalism,” Senator Henderson said.
Shadow Assistant Treasurer, Kevin Hogan, said that while deals between Google and media companies have continued under the Code, Labor has sat on its hands for more than two years, putting jobs and the viability of the Australian media sector at risk.
”It is imperative that commercial deals be done and done quickly. The dissemination of news, views and opinions by the Australian media sector plays a vital role in our community and our democracy,” Mr Hogan said.
”Delays by Labor are putting all of this at risk – big tech must not be allowed to continue to profit from the use of Australian news content without paying adequate compensation.”
”The Coalition will consider the exposure draft in good faith. However, we hold a number of concerns including that Labor can’t be trusted to fairly distribute funding to media companies if big tech opts to pay a penalty instead of finalising commercial agreements,” Mr Hogan said.