Australia unveils laws that could force tech giants like Google and Meta to pay for news

Australia has unveiled new draft laws that could force tech giants like Meta and Google to compensate local news outlets for publishing their content.

The draft News Bargaining Incentive (NBI), now available for consultation, seeks to plug a gap in existing rules that enable digital platforms to “avoid their obligations”, prime minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Albanese government said it wants big tech companies to compensate local publishers for sharing their articles, which drive traffic on online platforms.

Its new draft rules would encourage platforms to make commercial deals with news publishers as the new preferred model, or pay a charge as a proportion of their revenue if they choose not to go forth with such a deal, he said.

“Platforms who elect not to do commercial deals with news publishers will need to pay a charge as a proportion of their revenue, with any charges collected to be distributed back to the news media sector,” the prime minister said.

This charge would be about 2.25 per cent of a platform’s Australian revenue, Mr Albanese said.

“At this point, the three organisations are Meta, Google and TikTok,” the prime minister said.

“It can be offset through deals, by 150 per cent for deals done with traditional media and 170 per cent through deals done through smaller media organisations,” he said, adding that the new rules were laid out after “extensive consultation” with Meta, TikTok, and Google.

The Independent has reached out to Meta, Google, and TikTok for comments on the new draft rules.

The Albanese government said it is also developing ways to return any money collected from the scheme back to the country’s news media sector to support journalists, it said, adding that “a strong and diverse news sector is vital for a healthy democracy”.

“Journalists are the lifeblood of Australia’s media sector, playing a vital role in keeping communities informed about the news that matters to them. Local news matters to local communities, and these stories can’t be told without Australian journalists,” Mr Albanese said.

“My government will always back Australian journalists and Australian news,” he said.

The draft rules are expected to be introduced in the Australian parliament during the “winter sitting” period, which means they could be tabled sometime in July or August.

“There has never been a more important time to ensure journalists are supported to keep Australians up to date with the latest and most accurate news,” communications and sports minister Anika Wells said.

“Large digital platforms have an important role to play in providing access to news for all Australians and being partners in innovation, we would like to see them work with the news media on commercial deals with benefit to both parties,” said Australian minister for financial services, Daniel Mulino.

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