Dilara Hamit
21 August 2026•Update: 21 August 2026
Australia’s Parliament has passed legislation aimed at encouraging large digital platforms to pay news organizations for the journalism they use on their search and social media services.
The News Bargaining Incentive allows eligible platforms to reduce their financial liability by entering into commercial agreements with at least eight Australian news businesses.
Platforms that decline to make deals will instead pay a charge based on their Australian digital advertising revenue. The money collected will be distributed to the media industry through the News Journalism Payments scheme.
The government said the legislation closes a loophole in the existing News Media Bargaining Code that allowed a platform to avoid payment obligations by removing news from its services.
Commercial agreements must be completed before the end of a platform’s financial reporting period to count toward reducing its liability for that period.
The legislation is intended to support news organizations of different sizes, including small and regional publishers.
“Journalism is an essential part of a strong democracy,” Communications Minister Anika Wells said, adding that it holds individuals, companies and governments accountable.
Wells said the laws would also support small and regional publishers that provide local communities with a voice.
Assistant Treasurer and Financial Services Minister Daniel Mulino said the government was fulfilling its commitment to support Australian journalism while encouraging digital platforms to negotiate directly with publishers.
Australia introduced the News Media Bargaining Code in 2021 to address the imbalance in bargaining power between major technology platforms and news organizations.
The new incentive strengthens that system by making it more expensive for eligible platforms to avoid entering into commercial agreements altogether.