Australia passes law forcing tech giants to pay for news or face levy

Australia’s Parliament on Thursday passed the News Bargaining Incentive, requiring major tech firms to strike commercial deals with local news publishers or face a levy on their Australian advertising revenue.

According to Tribune, the law targets platforms like Meta, Google, TikTok and LinkedIn earning over A$250 million locally. Companies avoiding agreements with at least eight publishers face a 2.5% levy, offset by deal values, with smaller outlets attracting a 200% offset. The government said the legislation sends a clear message for platforms to “pursue commercial deals” to support Australian journalism.