Anthony Albanese has pledged to not again down on plans to ban under-16s from social media and pressure on-line giants to pay for Australian information – two key insurance policies opposed by large tech firms with the ear of Donald Trump – forward of his anticipated assembly with the US president subsequent week.
The prime minister additionally mentioned that “Australia should decide what we spend on Australia’s defence”, shrugging off calls for from the Trump administration to quickly enhance navy spending, whilst he saved open the choice of budgeting extra for brand new property.
In a speech on Tuesday setting out his second-term agenda, Albanese repeatedly pushed again on issues raised by the US over Australian coverage positions. The prime minister mentioned the three Could election – which delivered Labor a thumping majority – was an endorsement of “a progressive patriotism where we are proud to do things our own way”, including that Australians had voted towards “importing ideologies” and “policies copied from overseas”.
“We certainly support the news bargaining code, and we’ve made it very clear, for example to the US, and we made it clear publicly, that that is not on the table [for negotiating] any more than the social media ban for under-16s is,” Albanese instructed the Nationwide Press Membership.
“We respect the role of, particularly, local papers, as a local here in Canberra. It plays a vital role, and it is of critical importance that those media organisations are able to survive.”
The federal government outlined its plans for a information media bargaining incentive in December, after shops flagged that current offers had been expiring and may not be renegotiated. It updates the present code, after issues that tech firms had been sidestepping it. The mechanism would require massive on-line platforms – together with Google, Meta’s Fb and Instagram, and Bytedance’s TikTok – to pay a set cost or enter direct offers with Australian media shops to recognise the worth of reports content material on these platforms.
The brand new plan was met with robust opposition by social media platforms, who urged the Trump administration to focus on “coercive and discriminatory” Australian media legal guidelines.
The Australian authorities has not spoken a lot in regards to the incentive lately, elevating fears it might be watered down. However on Tuesday, Albanese mentioned the federal government remained dedicated to the coverage, and the under-16s ban.
“This is about government creating a community standard, as well as a legal one. Making it clear that social media companies have a social responsibility … This matters and we won’t be taking a backward step on it.”
Noting the altering media panorama, the prime minister mentioned: “Legacy media isn’t everything, but it is important.”
Albanese travels to Canada for the G7 assembly this week, and will meet Trump throughout that journey, however a gathering has not but been confirmed.
Australia has in the meantime been pushing for exemptions to US tariffs, with the commerce minister, Don Farrell, conceding this weekend that the ultimate determination on any exemptions can be made by Trump himself.
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Requested about his potential assembly with Trump, and what a commerce deal might embrace, Albanese mentioned he would “only sign up to things that are in Australia’s national interest”.
“Things like the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the media bargaining code, our biosecurity in agriculture – they’re not on the table as far as we’re concerned,” he mentioned.
“But are there areas in which Australia and the United States can have win-wins? Yes, I believe that there are.”
The US secretary of protection, Pete Hegseth, met Australia’s defence minister, Richard Marles, final weekend in Singapore. Hegseth mentioned Australia ought to enhance its defence spending to three.5% of GDP “as soon as possible”, a determine Albanese and different senior Labor members have downplayed, saying Australia doesn’t set such arbitrary spending targets for some other space of presidency.
The prime minister repeated that place on Tuesday, though he didn’t rule out elevating defence spending if wanted.
“There is no reason why defence should be governed by anything other than one factor: what do we need? What is the capability we need to keep us safe … Of course, we’ll always provide for capability that’s needed,” Albanese mentioned.
“I think that Australia should decide what we spend on Australia’s defence … Arbitrary figures lead to a cul-de-sac, and we want to make sure as well that every single dollar that defence spends results in actual assets.”
