Australia has unveiled sweeping draft legislation that could compel major technology companies including Meta, Google and TikTok to pay local media organisations for news content shared on their platforms.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Tuesday that the proposed law would give the tech giants a choice: voluntarily strike payment deals with Australian news publishers or face a compulsory levy of 2.25 percent of their revenue generated in the country.
“Large digital platforms cannot avoid their obligations under the news media bargaining code,” Albanese said, stressing that the move is aimed at ensuring journalism is fairly compensated in the digital age.
The proposal is designed to strengthen and close loopholes in Australia’s existing media bargaining framework, which previously allowed some companies to sidestep payments by removing news content from their platforms altogether.
Under the new rules, companies that refuse to negotiate with publishers could be taxed, a measure Canberra hopes will force meaningful agreements and sustain struggling newsrooms.
The legislation specifically targets Meta, Google and TikTok based on their significant user base and advertising revenues within Australia.
Communications Minister Anika Wells said the reforms were necessary as more Australians increasingly rely on social media platforms for news consumption.
“People are increasingly getting their news directly from Facebook, from TikTok and Google,” she said. “We believe it’s only fair that large digital platforms contribute to the hard work that enriches their feeds and that drives their revenue.”
Supporters of the law argue that tech platforms benefit from news content that attracts users and advertising income, while traditional media organisations face declining revenues and rising financial pressure.
However, the proposal has already drawn criticism from Meta, which described the plan as “nothing more than a digital services tax.” The company insisted that publishers willingly share content on its platforms in exchange for traffic and visibility.
The debate echoes previous tensions between the Australian government and tech firms. When similar regulations were proposed in 2024, Meta restricted access to news content for Australian users, while Google warned it could scale back some of its services in the country.
The draft legislation has now been opened for public consultation, which will run until May, after which it is expected to be introduced in parliament later this year.
If passed, the law could once again put Australia at the forefront of global efforts to regulate big tech and reshape how journalism is funded in the digital era.
CHANNEL