Last Friday (Mar. 2), Meta announced it will not enter new payment deals with news publishers in Australia.

The previous agreements, worth millions of dollars to news outlets over the past three years, were seen as a compromise for Meta to avoid mandatory negotiations under the news media bargaining code. 

Failure to negotiate could result in significant fines for companies, amounting to 10% of their Australian revenue.

In response to Meta's decision, Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland have condemned the move, emphasizing Meta's responsibility to support Australian journalism. 

They have assured publishers that the government will take all necessary steps under the news media bargaining code to ensure fair compensation for news content.

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Why Australia Wants to Include TikTok, Apple News and Instragram

Now, more than Meta, The Guardian reports that they also advocate for including TikTok, Apple News, and Instagram in the media bargaining code.

According to Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, the growing preference for platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Apple News, and Instagram as news sources highlights the need to expand the scope of the bargaining code to ensure fair compensation for news content creators.

Hanson-Young now calls for the government's expedited review of the code to consider including additional platforms.

While the government seeks advice from regulatory bodies such as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and Treasury on the next steps under the code, discussions with major digital platforms are ongoing. 

Jones has expressed the government's firm stance on compensating Australian news businesses for their work, and the benefits platforms derive from it.

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