Google, Meta and TikTok face new levy to pay for Australian news as Albanese reveals media plan

The Guardian reports that Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has unveiled a draft news bargaining incentive (NBI) scheme imposing a 2.25% levy on local revenues for Google, Meta, and TikTok unless they sign deals with publishers to pay for news content; platforms entering such agreements would receive offsets of 150-170% from the levy, with collected revenue directed to support Australian journalism. The reporting is bylined and sourced from direct government statements and named officials (Albanese, communications minister Anika Wells, assistant treasurer Daniel Mulino), with specific policy details including levy rates, offset percentages, and the scheme's replacement of the prior news media bargaining code. The Guardian's coverage is corroborated by other outlets (Reuters, SMH) reporting on Australia's broader tech regulation efforts, including context about Meta withdrawing from prior $70m deals and the government's stated December 2024 proposal timeline; the article also notes potential pushback from Donald Trump regarding US platform taxes. Watch for the government's introduction of draft legislation during the winter parliamentary sitting and the platforms' commercial responses to the incentive structure, which could reshape media funding models in Australia.