On 20 April 2020, the Australian Government asked the ACCC to develop a mandatory code of conduct to address bargaining power imbalances between Australian news media businesses and digital platforms, specifically Google and Facebook.
On 31 July 2020 the ACCC released a draft code for public consultation and a series of questions and answers (Q&As) about the draft code.
Following consultation, the ACCC made recommendations to Government based on the views put forward by stakeholders. Government has now considered these recommendations and developed its final legislation.
The final legislation as passed by both houses on 25 February 2021 is available on the Federal Register of Legislation.
A joint media release from the Treasurer and the Minister for Communications, published on 25 February 2021, is available on the Treasury Portfolio Ministers website.
Timeline
| Stages | Date |
|---|---|
| Concepts paper | 19 May 2020 |
| Submissions to concepts paper | 31 July 2020 |
| Draft legislation | 31 July 2020 |
| Submissions to exposure draft | 22 December 2020 |
| Final legislation | 25 February 2021 |