Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu --> Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Big tech companies will have to pay to publish Australian news content under new laws Australia has passed a law requiring major tech platforms such as Google and Meta to strike deals with Australian news publishers or pay a levy on their advertising revenue. World Big tech companies will have to pay to publish Australian news content under new laws August 21, 20265:34 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered By Kristina Kukolja Big tech and Australia local news Listen · 2:52 2:52 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5939814/nx-s1-9896484" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Australia has passed a law requiring major tech platforms such as Google and Meta to strike deals with Australian news publishers or pay a levy on their advertising revenue. Sponsor Message Transcript
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Australia has already banned social media for children under 16. This week, the Australian government passed laws that may spark a new battle with U.S. tech giants. Google and Meta are among the companies that will be forced to pay in order to distribute content from Australian news outlets, as Kristina Kukolja reports.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Order.
KRISTINA KUKOLJA, BYLINE: In Parliament, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed the changes as a model for the democratic world.
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PRIME MINISTER ANTHONY ALBANESE: They encourage these tech giants to do deals with media companies. But if they don't, they will make a payment that will directly assist in the employment of journalists.
KUKOLJA: The message to Google, Meta, LinkedIn and TikTok's owner, ByteDance, is make commercial deals with Australian media outlets to fund newsrooms or face a 2.5% levy on digital advertising revenues in Australia. NPR has requested comment, but there's been no word yet from the companies in question. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, previously criticized the measure as indefensible and grossly unfair, arguing that it violates the U.S. Free Trade Agreement with Australia. The White House reacted with accusations of foreign extortion. Fei Gao is a taxation and governance expert at the University of Sydney and says the digital platforms will have to consider their options.
FEI GAO: Either they need to negotiate with Australian media companies, like required by the Australian government, or to lobby Washington to put pressure on Australia government, which also is costly.
KUKOLJA: Gao says Australia is already on the Trump administration's radar, as the U.S. trade representative reviews aspects of Australian digital regulation for alleged unfair trade practices. Last year, President Trump vowed to stand up to countries that, quote, "attack incredible American tech companies." More recently, he threatened 100% tariffs on European nations that would impose a digital services tax on American tech giants. Gao believes if Trump used Australia's latest efforts as such attacks, he could respond.
GAO: For Trump administration particularly, additional tariffs on Australian exports - that's quite possible, and that's feasible.
KUKOLJA: Free TV, the group which represents commercial television networks in Australia, has called the news funding scheme a critical step towards ensuring global tech platforms contribute fairly to the Australian journalism they rely on.
For NPR News, I'm Kristina Kukolja in Melbourne.
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