Overview
- The Albanese government, which released draft legislation Tuesday, proposed a 2.25% charge on Australian revenue for platforms that do not sign content deals with local publishers.
- Companies that reach agreements would face a lower effective cost, with the rate dropping to 1.5% if enough deals are in place and offsets set at 150% for large outlets and 170% for smaller newsrooms.
- The government projects A$200–250 million a year for Australian journalism, with funds distributed to news organizations based on how many journalists they employ.
- Consultation is open until May 18, the bill is slated for the winter sitting, and the measure would apply from the 2025–26 financial year starting July 1.
- Meta and Google reject the plan as a digital services tax, while the draft is designed to prevent firms from avoiding payments by removing news content.