News Media Bargaining (Administration) Bill 2026
Ms LE (Fowler) (11:54): by leave—I move: (1) Clause 17, page 19 (line 12), omit "financial year.", substitute "financial year; and". (2) Clause 17, page 19 (after line 12), at the end of subclause (1), add: (c) the combined eligible expenditure of all of the members of the service group in relation to any 2 news business corporate groups is no greater than half of the combined eligible expenditure of all of the members of the service group in relation to all news business corporate groups.
Almost 30 years ago, I had the privilege of beginning my cadetship at the Liverpool City Champion and later helped establish the Fairfield City Champion, so the connection to journalism for me is quite a personal one. That work taught me the value of local and grassroot journalism. The stories that matter most to people are often not the ones that reach national television or dominate the headlines; they are stories about a dangerous intersection, a struggling family business, a community group, a sporting group awards night or a local Rotary Club activity.
Those are the ordinary, extraordinary stories of communities like mine—stories that connect our local residents to what's happening in their area or to individuals and organisations serving the local area. And they deserve to be told by the people who are part of the community and grew up in the community. Neither the Liverpool City Champion nor the Fairfield City Champion exist anymore.
Like too many local papers, they were priced out and swallowed up by social media giants and, of course, the bigger players. That loss is much more than the closure of a newspaper; it means fewer opportunities for our young, aspiring storytellers, especially those from multicultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds, to enter journalism, learn the skills of being a balanced reporter, research and analyse stories, ask questions, communicate, build confidence, hone their talent and tell the stories of their own communities through genuine, grassroots, shoe-leather reporting.
It was also a chance to learn about death knocks—and that was, for me, getting into the ring. For my community, this matters enormously. Rich in languages, cultures, experiences and perspective, those stories are Australian stories.
They are the Australian story. But they do not make it onto our social media feeds, let alone to the top of a search engine. The loudest voices are heard.
The largest organisations, those with the deepest pockets, are seen. Meanwhile, small local, regional, multicultural and independent outlets are shouting into the void and left to fend for themselves. I can see the intention of this proposed legislation to change that, and I'm realistic about what these bills before us can and cannot do.
They cannot revive every outlet, newsroom or cadetship that has already been lost, but I have hope that they can support resilient local journalists and independent news organisations that are still hanging on. They can give the next generation of aspiring voices, whether in a rural community or in a diverse community like Fowler, an opportunity to tell their community's stories.
But, if this scheme is to strengthen media diversity, we must ensure smaller players are not again swallowed up or edged out by the largest ones. I have moved a very simple amendment. As the bill stands, a platform can qualify for the offset by spending money on at least eight news groups.
My amendments add one more test: no two of those news groups can take more than half of that spending between them. Put simply, at least half the money must go beyond the two biggest names on the list. It is a small change, but it matters.
It means platforms have to make real agreements with a wider range of newsrooms, local, regional, multicultural, community and independent, not just the two that already have the loudest voices and the deepest pockets. Without it, a platform could tick the box of dealing with eight news groups while sending almost all of its money to just two of them. That would meet the letter of the law; it would not meet its purpose.
This amendment is not about punishing the big players. It's about making sure this scheme does not repeat what has already happened in this country, where the big get bigger and the smallest get swallowed up. Lifting up the weakest members of our society is the core of a true democracy.
So too is ensuring that communities can tell their own stories, in their own voices. I support this bill and urge the House to support this sensible amendment.