Albanese defends plan forcing Meta, Google and TikTok to make deals with Australian news publishers through a levy

The Trump administration has described Australia’s moves to make big tech companies pay for news online as “extortion” but Anthony Albanese defended the plan by saying it was about protecting and rewarding media outlets for the work they produce.

Labor’s plan to encourage Meta, Google and TikTok to make deals with Australian news publishers, or face a 2.25% levy, is likely to be supported by the Coalition and Greens in parliament. But a bigger problem may be the ire of Donald Trump, who has strongly opposed extra regulation being imposed on US-based tech companies. A major tech industry lobby group on Wednesday urged the White House to consider retaliatory trade measures.

Labor’s draft news bargaining incentive scheme includes 2.25% levy on local revenues of digital giants

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Anthony Albanese has urged Google, Meta and TikTok to make deals with Australian media outlets to avoid a dedicated 2.25% levy on local revenues, warning digital giants should not be able to exploit the work of journalists to boost profits.

Releasing an exposure draft for the government’s news bargaining incentive (NBI) scheme on Tuesday, the prime minister said platforms could avoid the levy by signing new deals with publishers to pay for news content, and even greater offsets for making deals with smaller publishers. The government expects the plan will raise up to $250m annually for Australian journalism.

Radio presenter arrives by Rolls-Royce for case management hearing into allegations he breached his radio contract

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Kyle Sandilands’ conduct may not be “nice” but “if you buy Kyle, you get Kyle”, the federal court has heard in a high-profile legal fight the sacked shock jock describes as “pretty ugly”.

Sandilands’ barrister, Scott Robertson SC, has told the court the allegations about Sandilands’ conduct may “be regarded as serious misconduct for the purposes of employment law”, but they are not “serious misconduct for the purposes of this particular contract”.

Authors including Evelyn Araluen and Melissa Lucashenko say they won’t work with publisher after it dumps Jazz Money’s book illustrated by Matt Chun, who called Bondi victims ‘affluent beneficiaries of imperialism’

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An Australian publishing house has cancelled the publication of a children’s book by an award-winning Indigenous poet over comments the book’s illustrator made about the victims of the Bondi beach terror attack, whom he called “affluent beneficiaries of imperialism”.

University of Queensland said on Wednesday its publishing house would not proceed with the publication of Bila, A River Cycle, written by Jazz Money and illustrated by Matt Chun, and was considering “recycling options” for already printed copies.

Family reveal Valentine, who retired in February for treatment for a recurring cancer, used voluntary assisted dying

• James Valentine – obituary

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Broadcaster and saxophonist James Valentine has died three months after retiring from ABC radio, after 25 years of hosting Sydney’s Afternoons program.

Valentine, 64, had been a fixture on the public broadcaster since he joined as host of the Afternoon Show for kids on ABC TV in 1987 after a decade of playing in bands including the Models.

Exclusive: Corrective Services investigates how Richard Guilliatt of The Australian was able to interview Rob and Karen Gilfillan for Shadow of Doubt

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Corrective Services New South Wales is investigating how a journalist from The Australian was able to interview a man and a woman convicted of abusing their daughter for a podcast that raised questions about their guilt.

After legal restrictions were lifted last month, the victim said the podcast had been highly detrimental to her mental health.

Exclusive: Publication broke embargo on confidential briefing note about the royal couple’s movements five days before they arrived in Melbourne for their Australia visit

The Daily Mail’s “aggressive” approach to reporting on Prince Harry and Meghan’s Australian visit has “irreparably damaged” the Sussexes’ ability to brief press ahead of trips, Guardian Australia has been told.

The Daily Mail’s Australian website broke an embargo by publishing details of the royal couple’s movements five days before they landed in Melbourne, despite that information being strictly non-publishable until they arrived.