Australia: Announced News Bargaining Incentive charge for social media platforms

On 12 December 2024, the Australian government announced the News Bargaining Incentive, a proposed charge aimed at encouraging digital platforms to share revenue with Australian news organisations. Building on the 2021 News Bargaining Code, which mandated revenue-sharing agreements or fines of 10% of Australian revenue, the new charge will apply to platforms with annual Australian revenue exceeding AUD 250 million that do not hold such agreements. The charge will be calculated on taxable receipts from 1 January 2025 and can be offset by payments made to Australian media organisations.