Tech giants face new levy to pay for Australian news as Meta calls position ‘simply wrong’

Google also rejects need for reform after Albanese government reveals draft news bargaining incentive scheme

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Anthony Albanese has urged Google, Meta and TikTok to make deals with Australian media outlets to avoid a dedicated 2.25% levy on local revenues, warning digital giants should not be able to exploit the work of journalists to boost profits.

But tech giants Google and Meta have criticised the government’s change. Google rejected the need for the reform and was scathing Labor didn’t include AI platforms, while Meta – which manages Facebook and Instagram – said the government’s position was “simply wrong”.