Response to the exposure draft of the News Media Bargaining (Administration) Act 2026

This submission responds to the Australian Government’s public consultation on the draft legislation to establish a News Bargaining Incentive, the News Media Bargaining (Administration) Bill 2026, related bills and explanatory material (‘the draft legislation’). This submission sets out five key recommendations.

These are informed by extensive research, including interviews with hundreds of people living in regional Australia and surveys of thousands of Australian news consumers examining their media habits, perceptions, and expectations. The submission also draws on engagement with industry and government stakeholders through a series of roundtables, workshops, and related forums.

Key recommendations

• Include AI platforms in the News Bargaining Incentive
• Incentivise deals with smaller publishers by creating a steeper offset tier
• Increase the minimum number of qualifying agreements
• Require platforms to commit to multi-year commercial deals
• Adopt transparency and evaluation measures to ensure funds flow to public interest journalism