Law note · Australia
News Bargaining Incentive draft legislative package (News Media Bargaining Charge Bill 2026; News Media Bargaining (Administration) Bill 2026; Treasury Laws Amendment (News Media Bargaining) (Consequential) Bill 2026)
Three-bill package released for public consultation on 28 April 2026, proposing a 2.25% levy on Australian revenues of platforms with A$250 million+ annual Australian revenue (Meta, Google, TikTok) unless they maintain qualifying deals with eligible news publishers; offsets of 150% (larger publishers) and 170% (smaller publishers) incentivise voluntary bargaining, with the levy revenue distributed to news publishers via a statutory payment scheme. Intended to apply from 1 July 2026.
Consultation closed 18 May 2026; as of late June 2026 the bills had not been introduced to Parliament, with introduction delayed until after the winter recess beginning 2 July 2026.
Primary source: https://www.pm.gov.au/media/consultation-news-bargaining-incentive-now-open