After Australia's fuel excise cut ended, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said he will watch service stations "like a hawk" to ensure price changes reach consumers within days. He has tasked competition authorities with closely monitoring stations.
Meanwhile, the government has decided to include LinkedIn in its news bargaining incentive legislation. The platform must now strike deals with at least six media organizations or pay 2.5% of its digital advertising revenue earned in Australia. This requirement also applies to Google, Meta, and TikTok.
Under the draft legislation, deals with four media organizations were sufficient, but now the number has increased to six. Additionally, the payment rate for companies that do not sign deals has risen from 2.25% to 2.5%. These changes apply only to digital advertising revenue, excluding other income such as Google's revenue from phone sales.
It is worth noting that Microsoft lobbied the government in March to exempt LinkedIn and Bing from the new rules. However, LinkedIn has been included, while Bing remains exempt because its digital advertising revenue in Australia is below $250 million.
Minister for Financial Services Daniel Mulino stated that these changes "do not alter the intent of the legislation and remain true to the policy rationale." He emphasized that digital platforms should make deals with a diverse range of media organizations, and the government has shown good faith during the consultation process.
Today in Sydney, the trial of former broadcaster Alan Jones begins, facing charges of indecent assault and sexual touching.
This was reported by infohub.kz.