‘Meta has demonstrated its utter contempt for the Australian government, its people and its laws’: War of words as govt floats tech levy

A Labour-led committee has found that the bargaining code introduced in 2021 to force tech giants to pay Australian newsrooms for the use of its content is “broken” and has proposed an alternative levy system.

The committee, chaired by Newcastle Labor MP Sharon Claydon, found that Meta’s decision in March to discontinue millions in payments to Australian news publishers was proof the news bargaining code “is broken and should be replaced with alternative revenue mechanisms, such as a levy system, on the broader operations of the digital platforms”.

The report recommended that any “digital platform levy” introduced should include “consideration for preserving current and future commercial deals to sustain public interest journalism over the longer term, and to support digital media literacy initiatives”.