Australia revises drafted media laws to make Google and Facebook pay for news

Australia has been making new laws for tech companies like Google and Facebook to pay publishers for news. While the policy has not been finalized yet, it was said that the government will make few more changes in the draft before it could be passed.

Why there’s a need for revisions on the proposed media law

The amendment has something to do with how the publishers should be paid. As per ABC News, Australia wants Google, Facebook, and others to pay publishers in lump sums instead of per click on the news article.

The modified version is set to be presented to the Parliament on Wednesday, Feb. 17. According to federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg and communications minister Paul Fletcher, the main aim for the revision was to “improve the workability of the code while retaining its overall effect.”

Furthermore, the modifications were described by the officials as “clarifications and technical amendments.” This was made after the Australian ministers had a meeting with Facebook’s chief Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet’s CEO Sundar Pichai last weekend.

In any case, the Australian government is hoping that the News Media Bargaining Code will be turned into a new bill before the current session of Parliament concludes on Feb. 25. The opposition labor party was also said to have agreed to support the bill to ensure that it will be passed through the senate.

Google partners with Seven West Media

Australian officials want Google, Facebook, and other tech companies to pay the local publishers for the news that was featured on the platforms. Both Zuckerberg and Pichai criticized the bill when it was first revealed, and they say it is not workable.

Google and Facebook even threaten to withdraw their services in the country if the officials push the new media law. However, the Australians remained firm, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that they couldn’t be threatened and suggested that they could tap Microsoft for its Bing search engine if Google really pulls out.

In a new development, as the talks between the executives continue, Google was able to strike a deal with Australia’s news network Seven West Media. The Guardian reported that both camps signed a multimillion-dollar deal under Google's News Showcase. Meanwhile, with the successful negotiation, Seven becomes the first major Australian media company to accept the terms of the American tech giant regarding the news payments.