Digital code of conduct passes Senate after Facebook stand-off ends
The government’s new media laws for digital platforms like Facebook and Google have passed the Senate.
The News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code was amended earlier this week after Facebook took the historic step of blocking all Australian news from its pages.
The amendments must now be passed in the House of Representatives.
But the battle to get the laws passed stretches back half a year, to when Mr Frydenberg and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced the draft code for digital platforms in July 2020.
Under the mandatory code of conduct, technology giants Google and Facebook would be required to negotiate with Australian media companies over payment for news content and notify them of algorithm changes.
It followed a direction from the Morrison Government, in December 2019, to facilitate the development of voluntary codes to address bargaining power imbalances between digital platforms and news media businesses.
The development of a code of conduct is part of the government’s response to the ACCC’s Digital Platforms Inquiry final report to promote competition, enhance consumer protection and support a sustainable Australian media landscape in the digital age.
“What we’ve sought to do is create a level playing field to ensure a fair go for Australian news media businesses and that when they generate original content, they are fairly paid for it,” Mr Frydenberg said in July.
“We want Google and Facebook to continue to provide these services to the Australian community which are so much loved and used by Australians. But we want it to be on our terms.
“We want it to be in accordance with our law and we want it to be fair, and that is what has motivated us with this mandatory code.”
