This is a win for traditional publishers around the country, particularly in regional areas such as the Mallee. The Federal Government is helping local news providers receive a fair deal through their engagement with digital platforms.
While many tech giants are playing along, including Google and Microsoft, we felt the brunt of Mark Zuckerberg’s tantrum when Facebook blocked news content in Australia.
In the 2020 financial year, Facebook posted almost $US30 billion in net profit. It beggars belief that a company this large would be so reluctant to support the news providers that contribute to its platform’s diversity.
After further negotiations with the government, Facebook had to back down on its move to block news.
Australia is leading the way in the global conversation around the regulation of social media platforms, and while we are working to secure a better deal for news providers, we are also taking measures to make social media safe.
This week in Federal Parliament I was proud to launch the Parliamentary Friends of Making Social Media Safe with co-chair Sharon Claydon, which received astounding bipartisan support.
At the launch event, it was a pleasure to hear from Damian Collins, a member of parliament in the United Kingdom. Mr Collins is leading the conversation on these issues in the UK and has praised the Australian Government for its handling of social media regulation.
It was great to appear on Mr Collins’ podcast this week to discuss this topic.
I am committed to pursuing reforms that make social media safe for everyone. I believe a regulatory framework should be introduced to guide the moderation of content on social media platforms. Beyond this, tech giants need to be held to account as publishers of the content hosted on their websites.
My message is that while these tech giants have changed the world, they cannot be allowed to run it. We must ensure that big tech abides by the rule of law and our democratic values in Australia.
