Australia has become the first country in the world to pass laws requiring big tech giants such as Facebook and Google to pay for news content. Yesterday, legislation passed the parliament for social media platforms and news organisations to negotiate payments.

Despite a compromise being reached, big tech companies had flagged stiff opposition to the proposed legislation. In a dramatic twist, Facebook pulled all news content from Australian viewers in order to leverage a favourable outcome. However, the move sparked outrage when it became apparent that it was not only traditional news outlets who were ensnared but also community pages that disseminate important information and are not media organisations.

During the week a range of amendments were made that ultimately led to Facebook joining other big tech corporations and reaching a compromise. The changes mean that it is possible for Facebook and Google not to be subject to the code. However, both companies have now committed to paying substantial sums to certain publishers outside of the code.

Meanwhile, the COVID vaccine has finally begun to be rolled out across the country. Unfortunately, a small hitch has already occurred when an elderly Queensland couple were provided with a higher than recommended dosage level. At the time of writing, both are yet to register any side effects but remain under constant observation. A speedy and successful rollout of the vaccination program will prove pivotal in returning to ‘life as normal’ and preventing any further lockdown measures.

On the industrial relations front, the Government has been forced to water down its IR Omnibus Bill. Under the original legislation, businesses were able to bypass the Better Off Overall Test (BOOT) in certain circumstances and this was strongly opposed by Labor and the trade union movement. Time will tell if the concession is enough to pass the Bill in the Senate, but IR is shaping as a key election policy should Australians go to the polls this year.

On that note, there is strong speculation within the corridors of Canberra that the Government will hold an early election later in this year. Although the most recent Newspoll showed the Coalition and Labor neck-and-neck on 50-50 two-party-preferred, the Queensland state election and the upcoming Western Australia vote indicate that incumbents firmly have the inside running at any poll at present. The SAS Group will keep all our clients updated on any further information we hear.