Good morning. Thanks for joining us. Today, Australia pauses to remember the 35 people whose lives and futures were stolen from them at Port Arthur 30 years ago. We think of everyone whose world was shattered by the loss of those innocent victims. We think of, and thank again, the first responders, and we think of the broader Tasmanian community as well. We think of Walter Mikac, who channelled his devastating loss into a call for national action on gun law reform. And out of tragedy, it is important to remember that Australia is a better place because the Howard government and the parliament of the day came together to answer Walter's call. This will be a very difficult day for many people, and our thoughts are with them today.
Can I also announce today that I have made a decision to recommend to the Governor-General that Meghan Quinn be appointed as the Secretary of the Department of Defence. Meghan is a senior leader in the Australian Public Service. She's currently the Secretary of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. Ms Quinn's term will commence on the 18 May for a five-year period. Ms Quinn will be the first woman to be the permanent Secretary of the Department of Defence, and is an outstanding public servant who, after an exhaustive process that we went through, was clearly the standout candidate. I do want to take the opportunity once again to thank Greg Moriarty for his service, and I look forward to working with him in his new capacity as Australia's Ambassador to the United States.
Today, we've just come from Cabinet and we can announce today that our Government is taking the next steps to ensure that Australian journalism is sustainable now and into the future by ensuring that large digital platforms cannot avoid their obligations under the News Media Bargaining Code. The News Bargaining Incentive will go to the next stage. We released a discussion paper in November. We had submissions in December. And today we're releasing an exposure draught of the legislation. That is an exposure draught which will encourage dealmaking between the platforms and news organisations. It will envisage some 2.25 per cent of Australian revenue being paid. That can be offset through deals, by 150 per cent for deals done with traditional media and 170 per cent through deals done through smaller media organisations. We want to see these commercial arrangements occur. If they do occur, then it's expected that that figure will drop to 1.5 per cent and will produce revenue of between $200 and $250 million dollars, which is the figure that was envisaged to be on the previous regime that has needed to be fixed.
Importantly as well, this is not about government revenue. Every single dollar will go back to journalists to pay for the journalism that you all produce here in the Gallery, but newsrooms right around the country produce as well. This is important for the integrity of the system. We have engaged in extensive consultation. At this point, the three organisations, Meta, Google, and TikTok as well have been consulted with and we'll continue to engage with. But we want to see these deals done as were previously done under the previous regime. But it is a regime that did need reform, and that is precisely why we are doing it today. We think that investment in journalism is critical to a healthy democracy. It matters. It's something that defines the way that Australian society operates. And frankly, if the work is being done by the people here at this press conference and in other places right around Australia, then your work needs to have a monetary value attached to it. It shouldn't just be able to be taken by a large multinational corporation and used to generate profits for that organisation with no compensation appropriate for the people who produce that creative content.
And so, this is a fix that we are putting forward. There's no substitute for Australian news and stories being told by Australian journalists. We envisage that we'll introduce this legislation in the winter sittings, and we would ask for broad support right across the Parliament, right across the House and the Senate for this legislation. But the reason for the exposure draft being released is so that people can have full transparency about what we are planning to do here. I'll ask the ministers to make comments and then we're happy to take questions.
DANIEL MULINO, ASSISTANT TREASURER: Well, thanks very much, Prime Minister. It's great to be here today to announce the public release of this exposure draft legislation. As the Prime Minister indicated, journalists tell Australian stories and public interest journalism in particular is vital to our democracy. What we know is that news media organisations are having to deal with large digital platforms which have very substantial market power, and that's undermining the traditional business model. This News Bargaining Incentive is designed so as to encourage digital platforms to enter into deals with traditional media so as to support journalism. That's the Government's intention. That's the outcome that we're seeking.
As the PM indicated, the incentive is set at a level at 2.25 per cent, such that if digital platforms enter into deals where there's a 150 per cent offset, they will end up paying an amount equivalent to 1.5 per cent of their revenue, which is our estimate of the deals that they had entered into under previous arrangements. There is a slightly more generous offset of 170 per cent for deals that are entered into with small media organisations, which is a reflection of the importance of diversity in the media. The test for which digital platforms are covered is a two-limb test, which will cover Meta, Google, and TikTok and eligible expenditure under the deals will include amounts of money that are spent to support the production of news. I'll just conclude by saying that the intention here is that digital platforms will enter into deals, and that's very much the way this has been designed, and that then is a segue into the work of my colleague, Minister Wells.
ANIKA WELLS, MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS: The media landscape has changed dramatically, and we all know most Australians are now consuming content online. People are increasingly getting their news directly from Facebook, from TikTok, and from Google. And we believe it's only fair that large digital platforms contribute to the hard work of journalism that enriches their feeds and that drives their revenue. The News Bargaining Code is no longer working effectively. We are fixing it. The News Media Bargaining Incentive encourages platforms to enter into deals with news outlets and to contribute its fair share to Australian laws. Platforms should do deals with news organisations. If they decide not to, they will end up paying more. A strong and sustainable news sector matters more than ever today, whether it is the national Press Gallery, whether it's local radio or a small regional newspaper. Journalists are the lifeblood of Australian news. We need more of them, not fewer.
The News Media Bargaining Incentive means if a platform doesn't do a deal with a news publisher, the money will come to us and we will deliver that funding to news organisations based on how many journalists they employ. The more journalists they have, the more money they will get under this proposal. And we are consulting on this to make sure that we get it right, because local news matters to local communities, and these stories can't be told without backing Australian journalists. And that's exactly what the Albanese Government is doing.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, firstly, to your Secretary announcement, you've announced someone who's an outsider from the Defence Department. Is this an acknowledgement that that organisation needs a shake-up and has become too complacent over recent years and for the times that it is now facing?
PRIME MINISTER: No, it's an acknowledgement that Meghan Quinn was the best qualified person when we considered all of the potential applicants. Ms Quinn has such a distinguished career. She has worked not just in the Department of Treasury where she was a Deputy Secretary. She was head of the Secretariat for the Australia in the Asian Century White Paper at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Prior to this, she worked for BHP and the Bank of England. Way back in 2009, she received the Public Service Medal. She is a distinguished person. She's done an outstanding job as head of the Department of Industry. And I was of the view, with the Minister for Defence and Deputy Prime Minister and others who were consulted, that she was the best candidate.
JOURNALIST: A British parliamentary committee that's looked into AUKUS has concluded it is at risk of faltering because of lack of investment and commitment. Sandwiched between an unpredictable US president and faltering British support, is AUKUS in trouble?
PRIME MINISTER: There is support overwhelmingly from the British government, from Prime Minister Keir Starmer down, as well as from the defence personnel in the United Kingdom. AUKUS is, to quote President Trump, full steam ahead. And I'm very confident that it will be so.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Meta simply walked out on the News Bargaining Code, thumbed its nose at the Government and the news media. What happens if it walks out on this one?
PRIME MINISTER: Then they will be subject to higher payments than they will if they do a deal with the news organisations. That's why there's this incentive being put in and the distinction that's there between paying 2.25 per cent or paying 1.5 per cent. And by having that incentive, what we're encouraging is for organisations to sit down with news organisations, get these deals done, and then we can move forward.
JOURNALIST: Would you extend it to beyond just those three organisations, like Microsoft and X Corp, for example?
ASSISTANT TREASURER: We've set the parameters for how this scheme will operate at the moment in terms of the revenue of organisations and also in terms of the number of users they have, whether it be on social media or through search, and that's a reflection of the market power that those organisations have. So, as more organisations reach those thresholds, then they would come within the scheme.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you mentioned the crucial role that media plays in regional communities right across Australia. I'm just wondering, does the Government have power to determine, to some extent, how the money will be distributed if the large platforms do deals disproportionately with large media organisations?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, in a word.
MINISTER WELLS: So, the discussion paper that we're releasing today speaks to the distribution mechanism. So, we have, Daniel and I, over the past few weeks and months, met extensively with all of the media stakeholders and platform stakeholders in this space. Our proposal is the distribution mechanism rewards news organisations who employ journalists. And therefore, if you employ more journalists, you will receive more funding under the distribution mechanism. I think the discussion paper also speaks about whether we need a loading that particularly addresses the needs of rural and regional media organisations, whether it needs to look at other particular areas like CALD organisations. And we're really looking forward to continuing to meaningfully consult with all our stakeholders as we try and put this through the Parliament.
JOURNALIST: Obviously, people are getting their news from TikTok and Facebook and Instagram, other places as well. People are also getting their news from AI platforms. Could you, I guess, reflect on how or if this arrangement will apply to the likes of Google's Gemini, but also OpenAI, other things like that. But in the same sort of field, I guess, this is just the latest in a number of very high profile and very complicated sets of legislation the Government's done around social media and tech companies. Gambling, the under-16s social media ban and so forth. Could you reflect on how all these things will sort of interact together?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, these things are complex, but governments have to deal with them. That's why we've gone through the process that we have of having firstly the discussion paper and then submissions and the exposure draft, which is out there now before it's introduced into Parliament. We did give consideration to AI.
ASSISTANT TREASURER: So, that was one of the key policy issues that we had to look at, as the Prime Minister said. AI is not included in the scope of this measure. And the reason for that is that AI is currently being examined through a range of other policy forums, including, for example, the work on copyright being led by the Attorney-General. And it's considered that that's a more appropriate forum to deal with some of the issues that you're raising here.
JOURNALIST: But will you include AI in this framework going forward, or is that not appropriate?
ASSISTANT TREASURER: So, this particular mechanism is intended to deal with very large platforms where they're exhibiting market power and where there's essentially no alternative but to deal with them. So, we have thresholds of five million users for social media platforms and 10 million for search. They're the thresholds for this particular mechanism.
JOURNALIST: Thanks, Prime Minister. In 2019, when you were in opposition, you said on the Australian children detained in Syria, children who are Australian citizens who have made no choices about where they are and the circumstances in which they find themselves are deserving of Australia's protection. Why have your views changed on the Australian children?
PRIME MINISTER: My views have not changed with regard to people who went overseas and chose to support ISIS rather than Australia when ISIS had an objective of setting up a Caliphate to literally attack democracies like Australia. I think these children are victims of their parents' bad choices, evil choices to undermine Australia's national interest.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the new US Ambassador has previously accused intelligence agencies of orchestrating a conspiracy to remove Donald Trump, of spying on Republicans. He's demanded that Ukraine give into Russian demands. Is this an ambassador you can work with and is Australia still aligned with the United States?
PRIME MINISTER: I'll work with whoever is determined to be the Ambassador. That is a decision for the United States. I understand that the President will put forward David Brat as Ambassador, and there's a process of confirmation that occurs through the US processes. We respect the sovereignty of countries to put forward ambassadors, just like we expect our choices to be endorsed.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on the topic of the cohort of Australian citizens returning from Syria, can you give any insight into whether they've obtained tickets and are on the way -- if they've obtained plane tickets, sorry. And would you sort of give any insight into the degree of communication that's currently ongoing between federal security agencies and community stakeholders in the states where they may resettle in?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, federal authorities, I have every confidence in the work that they do to keep Australia safe and they continue to monitor these issues, but Australia is providing no support for this cohort.
JOURNALIST: And have they purchased plane tickets home?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Australia is providing no support.
JOURNALIST: But our security systems would have that information as well.
PRIME MINISTER: And it's probably best that security systems operate securely, and ours does and will continue to do so.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the US under the Trump administration has raised concerns over a couple of years about Australia's previous regime under the News Media Bargaining Code in terms of talking about tariffs and trade impediments. This new model that you're putting forward today, have you discussed that with the US and are you concerned about pushback from the White House?
PRIME MINISTER: We're a sovereign nation and my Government will make decisions based upon the Australian national interest. We do that right across the board.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the Coalition has today announced its plan to double Australia's fuel stock. Will there be measures in the Federal Budget to boost Australia's fuel reserves?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you've got to admire the irony of Angus Taylor, who was the minister in a government where four out of six of our refineries shut and who thought the fuel reserves should be kept in Texas. I haven't seen the details of the announcement. We'll wait and see how much of that will be in Texas and how much of it will be in Australia. But this guy has no credibility. Of all the people in this building, of all 150 members of the House of Representatives, there is none who has less credibility on fuel security than Angus Taylor.
JOURNALIST: And will your Federal Budget include measures to boost --
PRIME MINISTER: Our Federal Budget will be on 12 May. I encourage you to attend.
JOURNALIST: Now that you've got a texting relationship with Donald Trump, does it matter who the Ambassador is?
PRIME MINISTER: It always matters and we engage respectfully with all of our diplomatic service, but I also have a good relationship with President Trump, which some of you got to see firsthand.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Meghan Quinn is the first woman to be appointed Secretary of Defence. Has it taken too long to get to this point?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, look, gender equity, has it taken too long? Probably by thousands of years, I would have thought. If this was a press conference 20 years ago, this group would have looked different. And the group that just met in the Cabinet room would have been different, because it's now majority women. I lead a Government that is majority women. We have appointed a number of firsts because of the process of inequity on gender that was there as part of general society as well. I think society often we reflect and romanticise the past right across the political spectrum. The truth is that gender equality, not there yet, but it's getting better. And the fact that we've appointed the second woman as Governor-General, the first as head of the Reserve Bank, the first head of the Productivity Commission, the first head of Treasury, the first head of the Department of Defence across so many areas, says that it's a good thing. And these people have all been appointed on merit, every single one of them are doing outstanding jobs, and that is a good thing.
JOURNALIST: The search for five-year-old Sharon Granites is in its third day. What do you make of the disappearance of that little girl?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, this breaks the heart of everyone who hears about this story. Every parent's worst fear is your child going missing. If you don't know where they are for five or 10 minutes, it can cause a great deal of anxiety for parents out there. And we just hope that this little girl is found. We feel for all the people involved with that, including the search that is occurring across the board as well. We hope that it becomes a very good news story in the coming period, and we hope that occurs very quickly. It is of great concern. Little Sharon, she's five years old, and she went missing from a home in Alice Springs. This search is now in its third day. So our hope is that this ends well, and I thank the police and volunteers for the work that they're doing. And I think on behalf of all Australians, we want to see a safe return.
JOURNALIST: Why are reforms to negative gearing and the capital gains discount important for tackling intergenerational inequity?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we'll have a budget on 12 May. I've already encouraged people to attend, put it in your diary, Tuesday night, 7:30. The issue of intergenerational equity in general is important. Something that defines a Labor government is that sense of fairness. And in Australian society, what we know is that for many young people, they feel like they haven't got a fair crack compared with my generation and the generations beforehand. Now, people will have their own assessments of that, but what we need to do is to make sure -- part of what I've said, the theme of the Budget will be resilience. Resilience in how we make more things here in Australia, how we become less vulnerable to global shocks, whether that be COVID or whether that be international conflict, whether it be cyber-attacks, all of these issues, but also resilience is about social cohesion and giving people that sense of ownership over the economy, making sure that the economy works for them, not people working for an economy. And that's why equity is very important. Thanks very much.
