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The law is expected to be passed by the end of the week, despite strong opposition from tech giants, Reuters writes.
Facebook blocked news sharing from Australian media on Thursday last week in response to the bill.
The blockade also affected public information about the coronary vaccine.
Australia’s Health Ministry responded on Sunday by halting all paid advertising on Facebook, writes broadcaster ABC News Australia.
Simon Birmingham, Australian Trade Minister
Photo: Rod McGuirk / AP
Traded this weekend
Australian authorities and the social media giant have negotiated over the weekend, but the law will not change, Commerce Minister Simon Birmingham told ABC.
– The law, as it stands, ensures that Australian news organizations can and should receive fair payment for content, Birmingham says.
On Monday, it will be debated in the Australian Senate, after it was passed in the Lower House last week. Facebook has so far not commented on the case on Monday.
Multiple countries can track
Both Google and Facebook have fought against the bill, but last week Google signed an agreement with several news companies in Australia. Among them is Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which is one of the largest media groups in Australia, the UK and the US.
Google has struck a deal with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, but Facebook is still opposed to paying to spread news.
Photo: Mike Segar / Reuters
– There is no reason why Facebook can’t do the same, says Australia’s Trade Minister.
Several internet giants have fought against the Australian bill, which is the first of its kind in the world.
The fear is that more countries will follow Australia, which could set a global precedent that could damage its business model and force major changes.
In Australia, networking companies Twitter, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Redbubble and TikTok have reached an agreement on a joint response to what they believe to be misinformation about the new media law.
