Tech giants face new levy to pay for Australian news as Meta calls position 'simply wrong'

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TLDR

  • Australia’s draft News Bargaining Incentive imposes a 2.25% levy on local revenues from platforms unless they strike deals with publishers.

Key Facts

  • The scheme targets platforms with Australian revenue over $250m and 5–10 million Australian users, currently capturing Meta, Google, and TikTok.
  • Platforms that sign deals with publishers receive offsets up to 170% of the levy; excess offsets carry forward.
  • The government expects the plan to raise up to $250m annually for Australian journalism.
  • AI platforms including OpenAI are excluded; the government says AI will be addressed through separate copyright processes.

Why It Matters

  • Meta and Google both rejected the scheme publicly, setting up a potential standoff before legislation reaches parliament in the winter sitting period.
  • The plan replaces the Morrison-era code after Meta stopped renewing deals worth about $70m to compensate for news content on its platforms.

Tom McIlroy, Josh Butler — The Guardian · 2026-04-28 · Read the original

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