The Albanese Government has finalised the News Bargaining Incentive (NBI) legislation, which ensures Australian journalism is sustainable now and into the future.
The NBI encourages digital platforms to make commercial deals with media organisations for use of their content rather than pay the incentive.
Platforms that elect not to do deals with news publishers will need to pay a charge. All revenue raised will distributed to the news media sector to support journalism in Australia.
Feedback received during consultation on the exposure draft of the legislation has been taken into account, with changes being made to the NBI and distribution scheme.
Changes include:
- narrowing the charge base while increasing the rate of the incentive
- broadening the scope of the NBI to remove the exclusion of professional networking sites
- increasing the distribution scheme loading for regional‑based journalists, small to medium publishers and media servicing underrepresented communities from 10 to 20 per cent
- establishing a grants program for small publishers and start‑ups that have an annual revenue of less than $150,000
- broadening the definition of journalists to include more essential news roles; and the inclusion of freelancers producing core new content.
These changes better align the NBI with the policy rationale and maintain the purpose and function of the scheme.
The legislation is expected to be introduced into Parliament early in the Spring session.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Communications, Anika Wells
“Journalism is the lifeblood of a robust democracy, which is why the Albanese Government is backing a strong and sustainable media sector.
“An important change is the doubling of the distribution loading for smaller and regional publishers.
“This acknowledges both the challenges smaller outlets face, but also the incredible contribution they make to the communities they serve.”
Quotes attributable to the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, Daniel Mulino
“Australian journalism is important to a well‑functioning democracy and we want it to be sustainable now and into the future.
“While we are making some changes to the News Bargaining Incentive, they do not alter the intent of the legislation and remain true to the policy rationale.
“We want digital platforms to do deals with a diverse range of media organisations and have shown good faith with both the platforms and media companies during the consultation process.”
