---
title: "Australia plans new rules forcing Big Tech to continue paying news outlets"
description: "Australia's centre-left government on Thursday will unveil new rules that could impose fines on Big Tech companies if they refuse to continue to pay Australian media firms for news content hosted on their platforms, local media reported."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-12-12-australia-plans-new-rules-forcing-big-tech-to-continue-paying-news-outlets/"
published: "2024-12-12T04:53:03"
updated: "2024-12-12T04:53:05"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 185
---

# Australia plans new rules forcing Big Tech to continue paying news outlets

> Australia's centre-left government on Thursday will unveil new rules that could impose fines on Big Tech companies if they refuse to continue to pay Australian media firms for news content hosted on their platforms, local media reported.

By Reuters · Published 12 December 2024, 06:53 SAST · Updated 12 December 2024, 06:53 SAST

## Key points
- In a bid to keep tech giants like Meta from playing hardball with news publishers, Australia is ready to unleash a legal game of "pay up or shut up," ensuring that if you don't want to play nice, you'll still be footing the bill.
- Proposed rules in Australia mandate internet companies to pay publishers if they refuse negotiations or remove news content.
- The Australian government has the authority to set compensation fees if negotiations with tech giants fail.
- Meta has previously struck deals with Australian media but plans to end these arrangements after 2024.
- The company is reducing its focus on news content across its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

## Content

Under the proposed new rules, any internet company that refuses to negotiate with publishers or removes news from its platform, as Facebook-owner Meta Platforms did in Canada, would be forced to pay regardless, reports said.

Australia Communications Minister Michelle Rowland's office, Meta and Google did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

Australia in 2021 [passed laws](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AKBN2AO2YN&linkedFromStory=true) to make the US tech giants, such as Alphabet's Google and Meta, compensate media companies for the links that drive readers - and advertising revenue - to their platforms. The government has the power to set the fees if negotiations fail.

Meta struck deals with several Australian media firms including News Corp and national broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corp but has since said it will [not renew](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AP8N3AW069&linkedFromStory=true) those arrangements beyond 2024.

Meta, which also owns Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp, has been scaling back its promotion of news and political content to drive traffic and says news links are now a fraction of users' feeds. It has said it would discontinue a tab on Facebook promoting news in Australia.

(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Franklin Paul)