More jobs and opportunities in public relations and publishing could be on the way across Australia’s media industry.
That’s thanks to the News Bargaining Incentive, which passed Federal Parliament on 20 August 2026. It’s one of the biggest changes to how digital platforms and Australian news publishers work together since the News Media Bargaining Code was introduced in 2021.
Why the News Bargaining Incentive Was Introduced
For years, platforms like Facebook and Google have shown news headlines and article previews to their users. Publishers argued that they did the work and paid the cost of creating the news, while the platforms earned the advertising revenue.
The existing News Media Bargaining Code tried to address this, but it had a gap. A platform could avoid its obligations by simply removing news from its service. Meta did exactly that in Australia, and it stopped renewing its deals with publishers.
The new legislation is designed to close that loophole.
How It Works
- Make a deal or pay a charge: Large digital platforms with significant social media or search services in Australia can make commercial deals to pay Australian news publishers for their content. If they don’t, they must pay a charge to the Government, based on their Australian revenue.
- Deals offset the charge: Money a platform pays to publishers under eligible commercial agreements can be offset against the charge. This gives platforms a strong financial reason to negotiate rather than pay.
- Only the biggest platforms are in scope: The charge applies to platforms with more than $250 million in Australian revenue. The Government has named Meta, Google and TikTok as expected to be covered, and the final bill also extends to professional networking sites.
- Revenue goes back to news: All money raised through the charge will be distributed to the Australian news media sector to support journalism.
Good News for Small, Regional and Independent Outlets
It’s not just the major media companies that stand to benefit. Small and medium news outlets, including the regional and independent sectors, are expected to gain too.
Because deals with a wider range of publishers can offset the charge, platforms have a stronger reason to make agreements with smaller outlets, not just the big names.
The final legislation also doubled the distribution loading for regional and small publishers from 10% to 20%. It includes a grants program for small publishers and start-ups with annual revenue under $150,000, and broadens the definition of journalists to include freelancers who produce core news content.
What This Means for PR, Publishing and Marketing
- More funding for newsrooms: New money flowing into journalism should support more reporters, editors and freelance opportunities.
- More PR opportunities: Better-resourced newsrooms, particularly regional and independent ones, can mean more coverage opportunities for businesses with a genuine story to tell.
- Platform changes to watch: How Meta, Google and others respond, whether they strike new deals or bring news back to their feeds, may affect how news content appears alongside social media advertising and search results.
The incentive should drive more funding, jobs and opportunities across Australian journalism, publishing and PR. Watch this space.
Want to make the most of changes across social and search platforms? Get in touch with Brik Digital to talk about your digital marketing.
Legislation introduced to Parliament (Treasury):
https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/daniel-mulino-2025/media-releases/support-australian-journalism-goes-parliament
Final legislation details (Treasury):
https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/daniel-mulino-2025/media-releases/nbi-legislation-finalised
News Bargaining Incentive overview (ATO):
https://www.ato.gov.au/about-ato/new-legislation/in-detail/businesses/news-bargaining-incentive
