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

Anthony Albanese has urged Google, Meta and TikTok to make deals with Australian media outlets to avoid a dedicated 2.25% levy on local revenues, warning digital giants should not be able to exploit the work of journalists to boost profits.

But tech giants Google and Meta have criticised the government’s change. Google rejected the need for the reform and was scathing Labor didn’t include AI platforms, while Meta – which manages Facebook and Instagram – said the government’s position was “simply wrong”...

A joint statement from some of Australia’s biggest publishers – including executives from the ABC, News Corp, Nine and Guardian Australia – said journalism was “under threat” and that all platforms “need to step up.”

“If digital platforms fail to pay for the use of the news content from which they profit then journalism becomes unsustainable. It is also in the public interest that reliable, professionally created news and information remains accessible and visible on the digital platforms used by millions of Australians,” the statement said.