Ministers respond to calls for Aussie news to be protected

From large mastheads in our major cities through to smaller publishers in our regions, we recognise that journalists and news organisations play a critical role in keeping Australians connected and informed.

That's why the recent decision by Facebook's parent company, Meta, to no longer pay news organisations for news content that features on its platforms is so deeply disappointing. This is despite the platform raking in billions in revenue it makes in Australia off the back of that content.

Millions of Australians connect on Facebook, sharing experiences with family and friends, transacting with local businesses and engaging with content. Around half of all Australians use social media to get their news. For one in five Australians, social media is their main source.

Meta's decision to walk away from its deals with news media companies is a fundamental dereliction of its responsibility to its Australian users.

Meta's own code of conduct acknowledges its reach and influence, and claims a commitment to "building responsibly, having a positive impact, keeping people safe, serving everyone and competing and collaborating fairly".

It is counterintuitive for Meta to claim that it wants to connect people to reliable information, even as it undermines the provision of accurate news content in the information ecosystem.

Meta's short-sighted move thumbs its nose at communities across Australia who value quality journalism and recognise its value and impact when they scroll through their feeds.

Meta should do all it can to incentivise quality, trusted content - it is both in Meta's interests and in the public interest.

The risk is that misinformation will fill any vacuum created by news no longer being on the platform.

This isn't just bad news for Australians looking to be well informed, but for Meta too as it risks making its platforms less authoritative for users.

Trusted brands, such as news companies and their mastheads, are a key tool in the arsenal against the tsunami of unreliable material that can cause harm - be it online scams, hate speech, disinformation or other inappropriate content.

A strong media is vital to maintaining social cohesion. A well-informed public is essential for democracy and trusted news organisations are critical to that.

But Meta's decision to walk away from the deal will have significant impacts on local news publishers and journalism jobs.

We know Australians value quality journalism and recognise its value when they scroll through their feeds.

Digital platforms must not undermine that news media businesses that provide a public good to our society.

Our news ecosystem is important - and digital platforms derive value from its existence on their platforms.

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But Meta's decision has highlighted the serious power imbalance that exists between digital platforms and Australian companies.

That's why the News Media Bargaining Code passed Parliament in 2021 with bipartisan support, and why the Albanese government continues to encourage publishers and platforms to follow the code.

The code recognises that these digital platforms have immense market power, and seeks to correct the imbalance in bargaining power to incentivise fair commercial outcomes for Australian publishers - and in turn, the communities they serve.

In December, the government announced it would work to strengthen the existing laws for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to scrutinise digital platforms under the code.

These powers will allow scrutiny of commercial deals between digital platforms and news businesses to effectively evaluate their contribution.

Ultimately, this is about digital platforms taking their obligations to Australian citizens, consumers and our information environment seriously.

The Albanese government will continue to work with news organisations through this process - so that Australians can be confident they'll stay well informed.