Treasury Laws Amendment (News Media Bargaining) (Consequential) Bill 2026

Summary

This change updates various laws across the Australian government to work alongside the News Media Bargaining Code, which requires digital platforms like Google and Facebook to negotiate fair payments with news organisations. The amendments adjust how different government agencies and laws interact with the new bargaining framework—for instance, updating tax law, competition law, and other statutes so they don't accidentally clash with or undermine how the code operates. This matters because without these follow-up changes, other parts of Australian law could create confusion or legal problems that interfere with news businesses getting paid fairly by large tech companies.

What happens at this stage

The main debate on whether the chamber supports the broad purpose of the bill. Members speak to its overall merits and concerns rather than the fine print. The government outlines its policy intentions; the opposition and crossbench put their case. This is the stage that determines whether the bill proceeds at all.

Next: Consideration in Detail (House) or Committee of the Whole (Senate), where the bill is examined clause by clause