Country Press Australia has welcomed the release of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s final report from its Digital Platform Services Inquiry, describing it as a landmark moment that recognises the systemic challenges facing regional and local news publishers in the digital age.
CPA President Andrew Schreyer said the report confirmed what independent publishers had known for years, that global tech giants are using their market dominance to control how journalism is accessed, valued and monetised in Australia, to the detriment of local news.
“This report confirms what our members have experienced for a long time,” Mr Schreyer said.
“Local and regional publishers continue to face deeply entrenched power imbalances in their dealings with the major digital platforms. This has real consequences for the sustainability of journalism in our communities.”
Mr Schreyer said the federal government must now move quickly to implement the News Bargaining Incentive legislation, especially in light of Meta’s refusal to renew deals with publishers since announcing their withdrawal from news arrangements last year.
“Meta has walked away from compensating publishers entirely, and others like TikTok have never come to the table at all,” he said.
“The incentive legislation is essential to ensure that all major platforms are required to contribute to the journalism they benefit from, either by negotiating in good faith or by making a fair payment.”
He also emphasised that public funding support for journalism, including through the News Media Assistance Program (NewsMAP), must be directed to publishers who are actively producing local public interest journalism.
“Funding should go to the journalists and newsrooms who are on the ground covering councils, courts, community stories and local sport,” Mr Schreyer said.
“These are the voices that hold local institutions to account and help communities stay connected. They need direct and meaningful support.”
The ACCC report draws attention to a range of broader issues threatening journalism, including a lack of dispute resolution options for small publishers, harmful practices by dominant platforms, and the growing use of AI tools that can devalue or displace credible news.
“We support stronger platform obligations to prevent scams and fake reviews, and we also support enforceable transparency requirements that ensure fair treatment of news content,” Mr Schreyer said.
“We need to see the major platforms treated as gatekeepers with clear responsibilities when it comes to how news is ranked, labelled and monetised.
“We urge the government to consider the rise of AI and its use of publishers’ content and the need for publishers to be fairly compensated for this as part of the News Bargaining Incentive framework.”
He said the rise of AI-generated content and the continued spread of misinformation on social media made it more important than ever for Australians to understand what credible journalism looks like.
“Improving digital literacy must be a national priority,” Mr Schreyer said.
“Australians need the tools to distinguish fact-based journalism from misinformation, especially in an environment where AI and algorithms are shaping so much of what people see.”
Country Press Australia represents almost 240 independently owned newspapers that serve regional, rural and suburban communities across the country. These publishers are embedded in the communities they serve and continue to provide vital public interest journalism in an increasingly disrupted media environment.
Mr Schreyer said the ACCC report provided a clear path forward and urged the government to act.
“We strongly support the ACCC’s push for a new digital competition regime and external dispute resolution so our members can operate on a level playing field,” he said.
“Our regional, rural and local news outlets are the backbone of Australia’s democracy and they must be supported through practical reforms and fairer digital market conditions.”
