‘We want a new deal to support good Australian journalism’: Government to force Meta to pay
The Albanese Government is set to force social media giants to pay media publishers for news content or face financial penalties.
This comes after Meta decided not to continue paying Australian media publishers earlier this year, threatening to simply remove news from its platforms rather than pay for it, should the government force them to negotiate deals with publishers.
The current news media bargaining code saw Google and Meta enter into voluntary commercial agreements in 2021. Google chose to renew again this year, albeit for a single year.
The Albanese Government is looking to introduce a new code, after a parliamentary inquiry found the current system is “broken” and suggested a range of new measures, including a digital affairs portfolio and a levy to operate in Australia.
Meta slammed the proposal, with a spokesperson saying: “The committee’s recommendations ignore the realities of how our platforms work, the preferences of the people who use them, and the value we provide news publishers who choose to post their content on our platforms.”
The government confirmed that it will deliver more information on the new scheme on Thursday.
“We understand the interest in this issue,” Albanese’s office told the ABC on Thursday morning. “We want a new deal to support good Australian journalism and the news media bargaining code we inherited doesn’t do that job.”
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said “an ever-evolving digital world means new regulations and reform must be urgently considered” by the government.
“The potential for Meta to remove news from their platforms will create a void for mis and disinformation, while in turn their refusal to pay for the news it carries will impact Australian jobs and the quality of public interest journalism in Australia,” she said.
“Tech platforms must be held responsible for creating the very spaces that drive division, abuse and conspiracy theories.
“We need laws that protect Australians from the predatory business models of Meta and other social media platforms. This could include requirements to carry news and information in the public interest, and be taxed properly for their activities and profits on Australian soil.”
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Nathan Jolly is the Features Editor at Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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Good journalism? Have they decided to drop Newscorp and Fairfax from the deal then?
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Will Meta just walk away from the market?
Would make the government look pretty foolish and would definitely hurt the economy and employment.
Not sure you can simultaneously force Meta to carry news content and force them to pay for it. What a deal for News Corp who just posted their second-best profit in history (whilst making people redundant) and currently has explicit adult content on their number one website….
Thankfully the government is saving us from social media so real journalism like this can thrive.
[Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy]
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If you really think it’s the news bargining code that causes the journo and sales job losses you are all kidding yourselves.
At a simple calculation over $650m has left the major local publishers in last 24 months all based on audience changes and declines. Their core business is broken and the consumers see no relevance for them in today’s media landscape. It’s sad but true.
This will be a short term rev filler and we will all be here in 12 months time again when more and more advertiser money leaves the traditional media owner market and those jobs that are gone are not replaced and even more go.
Needs a much bigger govt intervention to save this one. Maybe a fully tax deductible news subscription for all Australians? Surely there is a better way
They just didn’t pivot fast enough a decade ago when we all saw this coming and now they are using the govt to try and help.
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Well, if the government manages to push this through, spare a thought for the 100 or so people made redundant from Nine, and the many more from other media organisations this year. The news orgs will be stuffing their faces and filling their walk-in pantries with cake.
It’s a big “if” though, for a company that has already walked out of news in Canada, and who they can’t even actually force to pay tax in Australia.
I’m actually kinda on Meta’s side here – if the news companies worked with them instead of against them, I’m sure the referral traffic and subscription revenue that they could generate would be very useful in today’s market….oh sorry, wait, I forgot that Nine publishing had a record year for growth before they cleaned house, silly me.
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I agree with most comments here.
Why not tax the Social Media giants, and if/when necessary re-direct some of the proceeds to newsgroups for Journalism by application, it should not be a simple hand out. I’d hate to have Journo-Debt in five years time.
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