News Journalism Payments Bill 2026
Ms WELLS (Lilley—Minister for Sport and Minister for Communications) (09:02): I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Introduction Journalism matters. It matters to our democracy, to the health and cohesion of our communities, and to Australians who rely on trusted reporting to understand what is happening locally, nationally and around the world.
But quality journalism does not happen on its own. It is reliant on skilled journalists, strong newsrooms and sustainable news organisations. In a 24-hour news cycle, people expect news to be accurate, timely and available—wherever they live.
To deliver this, Australia needs more journalists, not fewer, because journalists are the lifeblood of Australian news. They tell our stories, they hold governments and institutions to account and they provide Australians with the information that they need. The News Bargaining Incentive is not intended to raise revenue.
Its purpose is to encourage commercial deals between digital platforms and news publishers, as was envisioned under the previous news media and digital platforms mandatory bargaining code. To be clear—the government's firm preference is that publishers do deals with platforms and platforms do deals with publishers. News content contributes to engagement, to trust and to the overall value of major digital platforms.
It enriches their feeds. It drives revenue. And that is why platforms should make a commercial contribution to sustaining it.
And if they don't—they will end up paying more. The incentive responds to the imbalance in bargaining power between large digital platforms and Australian news publishers. That imbalance is particularly acute for small publishers, which do not have the same resources or commercial leverage as larger organisations.
If digital platforms decide to pay the charge, instead of making commercial deals, there must be a fit-for-purpose mechanism to return that revenue to Australian journalism. That is what this bill does. Any revenue raised by the News Bargaining Incentive will be used to support the sustainability of news and journalism in Australia.
This bill establishes the News Journalism Payment Scheme, which will distribute any revenue raised by the News Bargaining Incentive to eligible Australian news organisations, supporting a sustainable, diverse and independent news sector. It will use a statutory, formula based model to provide stable, transparent and proportionate funding based on investment in public interest journalism.
Context A high-quality and trusted journalism sector is fundamental to Australia's democracy and the way we live. A rich and diverse media landscape keeps Australians informed, connects local communities, helps combat misinformation and disinformation, and supports social cohesion. Local journalists report on the decisions and events that directly affect the people they serve.
They cover councils, schools, courts, businesses and neighbourhoods. But quality journalism is costly to produce. And the economics of producing news has changed.
The commercial revenue that once supported news production is diminishing. Advertising income has been significantly eroded by the shift to online—a market dominated by the same digital platforms that do not compensate Australian journalism. Between 2006 and 2022, the commercial broadcasters share of Australian advertising expenditure fell from 43 per cent to 17 per cent as advertisers moved their spending online.
That decline threatens Australians access to quality public interest journalism. That is why the government is creating a statutory solution to support public interest journalism and the journalists who produce it. Key provisions of the bill The News Journalism Payment Scheme will distribute any revenue raised by the News Bargaining Incentive to eligible Australian news organisations.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority administers the register of eligible news businesses under the news media bargaining code. News businesses will need to be registered to apply for a payment under the News Journalism Payment Scheme. There will be two payment periods following the collection of any revenue through the News Bargaining Incentive.
Payments will be allocated according to the number of journalists an organisation employs, including freelancers. Put simply: the more journalists an organisation employs, the larger its payment will be. Eligible roles will include journalists, photojournalists, videographers, data and visual journalists, and editors and producers involved in producing core news content.
Using journalists as the basis for payment recognises the vital work they do investigating, analysing, compiling and reporting the stories that matter to Australians. A 20 per cent increase will apply for journalists working in regional and remote areas, journalists employed by small to medium news organisations, and journalists working in news organisations that serve diverse communities.
This recognises the challenges of employing staff in regional and remote Australia and the financial pressures experienced by small to medium publishers. It also supports publishers serving communities that are underrepresented in Australia's media landscape. Those communities deserve news services that understand their experiences and report on the issues that matter to them.
Payments made under the News Journalism Payment Scheme will serve a clear and valid public purpose: supporting ongoing investment in Australian news and journalism. The bill will therefore impose obligations on payment recipients to maintain their journalists in respect of the payment received across the relevant period. The scheme is not about providing payments without obligations.
It is about supporting journalists to remain in the jobs that are vital to the production of public interest journalism. Additional support for small publishers and start-ups I take this opportunity to thank the many news organisations, broadcasters, academics and other stakeholders that participated in public consultation on the News Journalism Payment Scheme.
Their feedback has helped inform the final design of the scheme. One of the clearest messages from consultation was that additional support is needed for very small publishers and start-ups seeking to establish core news services online. That need is particularly acute in areas where there is currently insufficient news coverage—often described as news deserts.
This bill therefore provides for a special allocation of five per cent of any revenue raised by the News Bargaining Incentive for a separate grants program. That program will focus on supporting small publishers and start-ups to build their businesses and produce news for local communities. This support matters.
Smaller publishers often operate with limited resources and face a disadvantage when dealing with the world's largest digital platforms. Yet they can also be the organisations closest to the communities they serve. They report on local issues that may never make national headlines and provide a voice for people who might otherwise go unheard.
Additional support for Australian Associated Press Australian Associated Press plays a unique and vital role in Australia's media landscape. Through its wholesale news service, AAP provides its newswire service to more than 400 Australian news publishers, with more than 300 of those located in regional areas. For many news organisations, particularly those with limited resources, AAP's reporting helps supplement local coverage and ensure Australians continue to have access to trusted news.
That work delivers benefits well beyond any single publisher. AAP supports the production and distribution of quality journalism at scale, helping to strengthen the diversity, reach and resilience of the Australian news sector. Under the bill, AAP will receive a dedicated allocation of five per cent of any revenue raised through the News Bargaining Incentive, acknowledging the essential role it plays in supporting public interest journalism and news organisations across Australia.
Conclusion News and journalism are critical to the proper functioning of Australia's democratic system of government, the health and cohesion of our communities, and keeping Australians informed. Australia must continue to have a free and diverse news media landscape. But news is costly to make.
The government's News Media Assistance Program is already providing much-needed funding to news organisations, including by supporting the ongoing employment of thousands of journalists across Australia. We want journalists to be able to focus on providing Australians with high-quality journalism without having to worry about the stability of their jobs. After all, it is people who produce public-interest journalism.
We need more journalists reporting from our cities, from regional and remote Australia, and from communities that have too often been underrepresented. This bill builds on the government's commitment to Australian jobs, quality journalism and a sustainable, diverse and independent media landscape. I commend the bill to the House.
Debate adjourned.