The Coalition has secured a stronger deal for Australian news organisations, increasing the contribution required from multinational tech giants and helping protect the future of Australian journalism.
The News Media Bargaining Incentive, which passed Parliament today with Coalition support, will require major digital platforms including Meta, Google, TikTok and Microsoft’s LinkedIn to make a fairer contribution for the value they receive from Australian news content.
The Coalition successfully argued that the charge applying to major digital platforms should be increased to 2.75 per cent of their Australian digital advertising revenue, strengthening the incentive for platforms to strike commercial agreements with Australian news businesses.
A strong and sustainable Australian media sector is vital to our democracy. That is particularly true in regional and rural communities, where local journalism plays an essential role in keeping Australians informed and holding decision makers to account.
The Coalition created the world-first News Media Bargaining Code because Australian journalism deserved a fair deal from some of the biggest companies in the world, and we have again acted to protect that principle.
It is deeply regrettable that it took the Albanese Government more than two years to act after Meta walked away in April 2024 from deals struck under the Coalition’s Code.
Rather than move quickly to strengthen the framework, Labor sat on its hands while Australian news organisations lost revenue, journalists lost jobs and local and regional media came under increasing pressure.
Labor’s original proposal was also badly flawed and risked taking Australian news businesses backwards, providing less support than the approximately $250 million reportedly delivered under the Coalition’s original bargaining framework.
The Coalition pushed for a stronger outcome and secured an increased contribution from the digital platforms.
We hope the strengthened scheme will deliver a significant boost to Australian news organisations, support Australian journalists and help protect the local and regional media Australians rely on every day.
The Coalition will continue to stand up for Australian journalism and ensure global technology companies make a fair contribution for the value they receive from Australian news content.