[REVISION HISTORY]

Australia news levy on digital platforms

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-03 06:43 UTC → 2026-08-03 06:58 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In early August 2026 the Australian federal government moved from proposing to legislate a higher levy on major digital platforms that do not secure commercial deals with local news organisations. On 2 August the government announced an increase of the levy to 2.5 % of Australian digital advertising revenue for platforms with at least AU$250 million in ad earnings, up from a previously suggested 2.25 % rate. The proposal detailed offsets for platforms that reach agreements, with larger offsets for deals involving smaller publishers, and excluded Microsoft’s Bing and AI firms while removing an earlier carve‑out for LinkedIn. The following day, 3 August, the legislation was formally passed. The final law retained the 2.5 % levy and the revenue‑share incentives for smaller publishers, adding a provision that up to 200 % of the levy could be shared with publishers that secure deals. Five percent of the collected fees will be earmarked to support small‑scale news businesses and start‑ups. Government officials framed the measure as essential for the sustainability of Australian journalism, while industry leaders expressed concerns about its impact on platform incentives. Further details released on 2 August clarified that the levy will apply only to advertising income earned in Australia and will affect Meta, Google and TikTok, with LinkedIn now included after its exemption was removed. Platforms that sign commercial agreements with at least six Australian news publishers can offset the charge. The changes are slated for implementation when parliament reconvenes later in the month. News Corp criticised the design as allowing tech platforms to evade responsibility, while other publishers offered more measured comments.

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