News Journalism Payments Bill 2026, News Journalism Payments (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2026, News Media Bargaining (Administration) Bill 2026, News Media Bargaining Charge Bill 2026, Treasury Laws Amendment (News Media Bargaining) (Consequential) Bill 2026

The PRESIDENT (13:37): The question is that the amendments on sheet 4011 and the remaining amendments on sheet 4010, as moved by Senator Pocock, be agreed to. Senator David Pocock's circulated amendments to the News Journalism Payments Bill 2026 — (1) Clause 3, page 3 (lines 23 to 26), omit the paragraph beginning "Also, 5% of the revenue", substitute: Also, 15% of the revenue from the charge is available to make grants of financial assistance, to entities with an annual income of less than $20 million, for the purpose of assisting in the production of core news content, with priority given to entities that are not otherwise eligible to receive payments under the scheme. 5, page 6 (after line 6), after the definition of grant recipient, insert: Grants Administrator means the body established by the Minister under section 105A.

(3) Clause 9, page 11 (lines 11 and 12), omit "if the corporation is an eligible low-revenue corporation—the FTE number", substitute "the FTE number". (4) Clause 11, page 13 (after line 4), at the end of the clause, add: (3) To avoid doubt, a role that is an eligible editorial role under subsection (1) does not cease to be an eligible editorial role merely because the role also involves being a narrator, anchor or presenter, so long as the role is not primarily that of a narrator, anchor of presenter.

(5) Clause 16, page 16 (lines 21 and 22), omit "eligible low-revenue corporation", substitute "eligible corporation". (6) Clause 16, page 16 (line 32) to page 17 (line 7), omit paragraphs 16(1)(e) and (f). (7) Clause 16, page 17 (lines 10 and 11), omit "eligible low-revenue corporation", substitute "eligible corporation".

(8) Clause 16, page 17 (lines 15 to 22), omit subclause (3), substitute: (3) The rules may provide for the FTE number of an eligible volunteer to be nil for the whole of the payment period. (9) Clause 18, page 19 (lines 23 and 24), omit "eligible low-revenue corporation", substitute "eligible corporation". (10) Clause 40, page 39 (line 12), omit "10%", substitute "20%".

(11) Clause 44, page 43 (line 7), omit "10%", substitute "20%". (12) Clause 71, page 66 (lines 26 to 30), omit paragraph (3)(e). (13) Clause 93, page 87 (line 5), omit "10%", substitute "20%".

(14) Clause 93, page 87 (lines 8 to 12), omit the paragraph beginning "5% of collected charge revenue", substitute: ‚ 15% of collected charge revenue is available for making grants, under sections 94 and 95, to certain entities and corporations with an annual income of less than $20 million, with priority given to entities that are not otherwise eligible to receive payments under the scheme.

Any amount unspent in a payment year is available for spending in a later payment year. (15) Clause 94, page 88 (line 3), omit "Secretary", substitute "Grants Administrator". (16) Clause 94, page 88 (after line 11), after subclause (1), insert: (1A) In deciding which eligible entities (if any) to make a grant of financial assistance to under subsection (1), the Grants Administrator must give priority to eligible entities that are not approved participants for the payment period during the which the grant under subsection (1) would be paid.

(17) Clause 94, page 88 (line 12), omit "Secretary", substitute "Grants Administrator". (18) Clause 94, page 88 (lines 15 to 17), omit the definition of eligible entity, substitute: annual income, for an individual, a partnership, a trust or a body corporate, means the amount for the individual, partnership, trust or body corporate that is worked out in accordance with regulations made for the purposes of this definition. eligible entity means an individual, a partnership, a trust or a body corporate (other than a corporation to which paragraph 51(xx) of the Constitution applies) that has an annual income less than $20 million.

(19) Clause 95, page 88 (line 19), omit "Secretary", substitute "Grants Administrator". (20) Clause 95, page 88 (after line 25), after subclause (1), insert: (1A) In deciding which eligible grant recipient corporations (if any) to make a grant of financial assistance to under subsection (1), the Grants Administrator must give priority to eligible grant recipient corporations that are not eligible corporations.

Note: For eligible corporation, see section 7. (21) Clause 95, page 88 (line 26), omit "Secretary", substitute "Grants Administrator". (22) Clause 95, page 89 (before line 1), before the definition of eligible grant recipient corporation, insert: annual income, for a corporation, means the amount for the corporation that is worked out in accordance with regulations made for the purposes of this definition.

(23) Clause 95, page 89 (line 4), omit paragraph (c) of the definition eligible grant recipient corporation entity, substitute: (c) that has an annual income less than $20 million. (24) Clause 96, page 89 (line 6), omit "Secretary", substitute "Grants Administrator". (25) Clause 96, page 89 (line 11), omit "Secretary", substitute "Grants Administrator".

(26) Clause 97, page 89 (line 28), omit "Secretary", substitute "Grants Administrator". (28) Clause 100, page 90 (line 25), omit "half", substitute "three-quarters". (29) Clause 100, page 90 (line 27), omit "half", substitute "three-quarters".

(30) Clause 100, page 91 (line 3), omit "half", substitute "one-quarter". (31) Page 92 (after line 6), at the end of Part 8, add: Division 3 — Grants Administrator 105A Establishment of Grants Administrator (1) The Minister must, by legislative instrument, establish a body (the Grants Administrator) to: (a) administer this Part; and (b) exercise any powers and perform any functions conferred on the Grants Administrator by this Act or by the Minister under section 105B. 105B Composition, powers and functions of Grants Administrator (1) The Minister must, by legislative instrument, specify the composition of the Grants Administrator and the powers and functions of the Grants Administrator.

Note: The Grants Administrator also has any powers and functions conferred on it by this Act. (2) In specifying the composition, powers and functions of the Grants Administrator, the Minister must ensure that: (a) the Grants Administrator is independent of the Commonwealth and of any single news business corporate group; and (b) the Grants Administrator's governing body includes persons with substantial experience in the Australian news industry, including in small, regional and independent news businesses.

(3) Before specifying the composition, powers and functions of the Grants Administrator, the Minister must consult news businesses or bodies representing news businesses. Senator David Pocock's amendments to the News Media Bargaining (Administration) Bill 2026 — (1) Clause 6, page 4 (after line 18), after the definition of amount, insert: annual income, of an entity for a financial year (the principal year), means: (a) unless paragraph (b) applies—the entity's annual revenue as set out in its annual accounts, prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, for the most recent financial year (being the principal year or an earlier financial year) for which such accounts exist; or (b) if the entity has an alternative 12-month financial reporting period—the entity's annual revenue as set out in its annual accounts, prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, for the most recent alternative 12-month financial reporting period (being a period that ends at or before the start of the principal year) for which such accounts exist.

(2) Clause 6, page 7 (after line 6), after the definition of significant social media or search service, insert: small news business corporate group, in relation to a financial year, has the meaning given by section 11A. (3) Page 12 (after line 31), after clause 11, insert: 11A Meaning of small news business corporate group A news business corporate group is small news business corporate groupfor a financial year if the sum of the annual income of each member of the group for the financial year is less than $20 million.

Note: For how to determine the annual income of a member of the group for a financial year if the member has an alternative 12-month financial reporting period, see paragraph (b) of the definition of annual incomein section 6. (4) Clause 15, page 18 (lines 7 to 9), omit the paragraph beginning "To be entitled to an offset", substitute: ‚ To be entitled to an offset, the service group must have new eligible expenditure for the financial year in relation to at least 8 different news business corporate groups, and at least 12.5% of that expenditure must be in relation to news business corporate groups with an annual income of less than $20 million.

(5) Clause 17, page 19 (line 12), omit "financial year.", substitute "financial year; and". (6) Clause 17, page 19 (after line 12), at the end of subclause 17(1), add: (c) the total new eligible expenditure of all members of the service group for the financial year, in relation to groups that are small news business corporate groups for the financial year, is at least 12.5% of the total new eligible expenditure of all members of the service group for the financial year in relation to all news business corporate groups.

(7) Clause 18, page 20 (line 12), after "directly", insert "or indirectly". (8) Clause 30, page 32 (after line 6), after subclause 30(1), insert: (1A) Without limiting subsection (1), the review must consider the operation and effect of the condition in paragraph 17(1)(c), including: (a) whether the 12.5% figure mentioned in that paragraph remains appropriate; and (b) whether the $20 million combined annual income threshold in relation to small news business corporate groups (see section 11A) remains appropriate. [charge offset — small news business corporate groups]