'We set the rules': Sustainable media industry vital to democracy, Australian PM says amid bid to regulate Google, Facebook
Australia is pushing ahead with proposed legislation forcing Google LLC and Facebook Inc. to compensate local media for using their stories, in a battle with global implications.
“What’s important to Australia is that we set the rules that are right for our people,” Scott Morrison, Prime Minister with the centre-right Liberal Party government, told reporters on Monday in Canberra, the capital.
“And having a news environment in this country that is one that is sustainable and is supported commercially, then this is vital to how democracies function.”
Both tech giants have balked at the proposed law, with Google threatening to pull its search engine from the country while Facebook has said it may block users in Australia from sharing local news stories.
Australia’s legislative gambit is being viewed intently by other countries.
It’s the first in the world to try to redress how online companies have come to dominate the online advertising market as traditional news outlets
France is preparing to tax the revenue of tech giants, a levy that could be used to support traditional media, while the 37-member Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development is also grappling with the issue.
Google has called Canberra’s plan “unworkable” and says its advertising business didn’t kill newspaper classified ads, pointing instead to specialized online sites as the culprit.
“We want to work through with the companies on these sort of things, we want a practical outcome,” Morrison said. “We don’t want things sitting in the courts and all those sort of things forever. But the world has changed, digital technology has affected that, and we’re trying to ensure our regulatory system keeps pace with that change.”
Morrison added that Microsoft Corp. CEO Satya Nadella had expressed an eagerness to boost its Bing search engine in Australia if Google were to leave.
“I can tell you Microsoft is pretty confident. When I spoke to Satya the other day, there was a bit of that,” the PM said as he mimicked rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
Financial Post