News Media Bargaining (Administration) Bill 2026; Consideration in Detail

Spender supported Chaney's amendments, emphasising the importance of public interest journalism for specialised and local communities. Spender noted that young Australians increasingly access news via social media and argued that the previous bargaining code failed to ensure fair returns for smaller publishers. Spender highlighted that small outlets often relied on philanthropic support to negotiate with major platforms and warned that without these amendments, smaller players might be excluded from future deals.

Steggall supported the amendments, arguing that major digital platforms should contribute fairly to Australian journalism without disproportionately benefiting large media companies. Steggall pointed out that the bill currently reserved only five per cent of revenue for grants, which was insufficient for local publishers like the Manly Observer. Steggall asserted that strong local journalism is essential for democracy and combating misinformation, and urged the government to support measures that broaden eligibility for smaller organisations.

Le moved an amendment to ensure that no two news business corporate groups receive more than half of the combined eligible expenditure by a service group. Le argued that this change would prevent platforms from concentrating spending on just two large entities while technically meeting the requirement to deal with eight groups. Le emphasised the value of local and grassroots journalism in diverse communities and stated that the amendment would ensure a wider range of newsrooms received support.

Gee supported Le's amendment, highlighting the struggles of small, independent media outlets in regional Australia. Gee argued that the legislation needed to ensure benefits reached smaller organisations rather than just large media groups. Gee stated that diverse local voices are crucial for advocating for regional issues and urged members to support the amendment to strengthen country journalism.

Spender moved six amendments to clarify that collective bargaining agreements negotiated by coalitions of small publishers count as eligible expenditure. Spender explained that the current bill did not explicitly allow coalition deals to satisfy the eight-group threshold or small business offset rates. Spender cited examples like Country Press Australia and the Public Interest Publishers Alliance, noting that small publishers lack individual bargaining power and need legal certainty to negotiate collectively with platforms.