Overview
- Australia released the draft News Bargaining Incentive on Tuesday, outlining a 2.25% levy on Australian-attributable revenue unless platforms strike paid deals with local publishers.
- Coverage targets large social and search services that exceed about A$250 million in Australia-linked revenue and specified user thresholds, with AI chat systems excluded from scope.
- Deals reduce the charge at enhanced rates, with 150% offsets for agreements with larger outlets and 170% for smaller publishers, which can lower the effective rate toward about 1.5%.
- Money collected would be returned to newsrooms based on the number of journalists they employ, with government estimates pointing to roughly A$200–A$250 million a year to support reporting jobs.
- Meta and Google criticized the plan as a digital services tax, public consultation runs to mid-May, the levy is slated to apply from the 2025–26 financial year, and the bill is expected in parliament during the winter sitting.