Draft news media laws to compel digital platforms to pay for Australian content will go before federal parliament this winter.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the draft News Bargaining Incentive (NBI) will remove a loophole in the News Media Bargaining Code that allows digital platforms to avoid paying by removing news content.
“Local news matters to local communities and these stories can’t be told without Australian journalists.
“We want to see these commercial arrangements occur,” Albanese told journalists at the same press conference.
“If they do occur then it’s expected that that figure will drop to 1.5% and will produce revenue of between $200-$250 million,” he told a press conference in Canberra today.
Communications Minister Anika Wells says “there has never been a more important time” to ensure journalists keep Australians “up to date with the latest and most accurate news”.
Consultation is open until May 18; click on
https://consult.treasury.gov.au/c2026-763377 for more details.
NEWS MEDIA HABITS CHANGING
“People are increasingly getting their news directly from Facebook, from TikTok, and from Google.
“We believe it’s only fair that large digital platforms contribute to the hard work of journalism that enriches their feeds and that drives their revenue,” Wells told the same press conference.
“Platforms should do deals with news organisations. If they decide not to, they will end up paying more.
“A strong and sustainable news sector matters more than ever today, whether it is the National Press Gallery, whether it’s local radio or a small regional newspaper. Journalists are the lifeblood of Australian news. We need more of them, not fewer,” she says.
Wells says that any money that is raised from charging the platforms will go back to news outlets; “we will deliver that funding to news organisations based on how many journalists they employ. The more journalists they have, the more money they will get under this proposal.”
Under the draft Incentive, platforms will pay 2.25% of domestic revenue to news publishers but could end up paying 1.5% through deals with offsets of 150% for larger outlets and 170% for smaller outlets.
Assistant Treasurer and Financial Services Minister Daniel Mulino says: “In an increasingly uncertain world, it is crucial Australians are able to get news seen through Australian eyes and with an Australian perspective.
“This remains the case whether it is news from overseas or from just around the corner, being delivered through traditional or innovative ways,” he says.
“Large digital platforms have an important role to play in providing access to news for all Australians … we would like to see them work with the news media on commercial deals with benefit to both parties.”
HOW IT WILL WORK
Under the NBI, digital platforms like Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), Google and TikTok will be encouraged to sign commercial content deals with eligible news publishers.
Platforms that will not sign deals will be charged part of their revenue which will be passed back to the news publisher.
The government is also developing a mechanism to return money collected by the NBI back to the news media sector.
Stakeholders can have a say on how money will be distributed to the media sector; a consultation paper is available at www.infrastructure.gov.au/have-your-say with submissions closing on May 18.
The draft laws are expected to be tabled in federal parliament during its winter session.
EARLIER DIGITAL MEDIA NEWS: Meta dumps fact-checking on platforms
