The Australian government released draft legislation for a News Bargaining Incentive targeting large digital platforms. The proposal imposes a 2.25% levy on the local revenues of Google, Meta, and TikTok. This measure compels tech companies to negotiate payment deals with Australian media outlets for shared news content.
The government will collect the levy if companies fail to reach private agreements. Authorities will distribute these funds to news organizations based on their total number of employed journalists. The initiative aims to redirect up to $250 million annually into the domestic journalism sector.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that multinational corporations must compensate creators when using their content for profit. Meta described the government's position as wrong, while Google criticized the reform for excluding artificial intelligence platforms. This development reflects growing global regulatory pressure on technology firms over third-party content usage.