Australia Strengthens News Media Bargaining Code

The Australian Federal Government has introduced the News Bargaining Incentive and the News Journalism Payments bills to address a limitation in the long-standing News Media Bargaining Code that it says has allowed digital platforms to avoid paying for news content by removing news from their service.

Under the Incentive, digital platforms operating significant social media or search services are encouraged to do commercial deals with eligible news publishers, with generous offsets provided to reduce their liabilities.

Platforms that elect not to do commercial deals with news publishers will need to pay a charge as a proportion of their revenue. Any charges collected will be distributed back to the news media sector to support media organisations across Australia.

The introduction of the legislation follows consultation, with changes incorporated into the final legislation.

The Government says these changes better align the NBI with the policy rationale and maintain the purpose and function of the scheme.

According to Minister for Communications, Anika Wells MP, “The Albanese Government is delivering for journalists and ensuring they get their fair share from digital platforms that benefit from Australian news.

“A diverse, strong and sustainable media sector is an essential part of a robust democracy. People access news in different ways and from different sources, which is why we made changes to the distribution scheme to better support smaller and diverse media organisations.”

“This is a significant day for the future of Australian journalism,” added Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, Daniel Mulino MP. “We want to see deals between digital platforms and a diverse range of media organisations to ensure fair recompense for the use of content.

“We also want to ensure the media sector is strengthened, from large companies to small ones, recognising the significant benefits strong journalism brings to communities across the nation.”

Visit https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/