ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry: the results
As PIJI celebrates its first 12 months of activity, we look back on the recommendations from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Digital Platforms Inquiry and the Federal Government’s recent response.
ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry 2019
The ACCC’s Digital Platforms Inquiry was initiated by Parliament following concerns about the impact of digital platforms on Australian media, including the loss of advertising revenue that traditionally supported public interest journalism. Read the full report.
Government Response
This month the Federal Government responded to the inquiry’s recommendations, committing to:
- Increase competition and consumer protection in digital platform markets
- Develop a voluntary code of conduct between media companies and digital platforms
- Commence a staged process to reform media regulation
- Review privacy settings
PIJI’s contribution to the discussion
In addition to its formal submissions to the inquiry and to government, PIJI commissioned three new pieces of research to inform the discussion:
- The Essential Report – Public Interest Journalism | Essential Media and Applied Economics
- Tax Concessions for Public Interest Journalism | The Centre for International Economics
- The Nature of the Editorial Deficit | Public Interest Journalism Initiative
The key findings from this collective research showed:
- A public willingness to pay for improved public interest journalism through the tax system
- Supporting journalism through tax rebates is likely to be effective and efficient
- A modest tax rebate could generate $380M every year to support public interest journalism
- Newsroom leaders would use any extra resources to do more public interest journalism – including reporting courts and other civic forums, and investigative journalism
Fels calls for tax incentives to back public interest journalism | Australian Financial Review | 21 November 2019
Media coverage of the Government’s response
While the Federal Government’s response to the ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry recommendations shows Australia trying to get out in front, PIJI maintains it has not done enough, fast enough, to address the current crisis in public interest journalism, as we expressed in this opinion piece published in The Australian:
” If the government is to meet the challenge of finding ways to alleviate this media market failure, it must act boldly and soon with anticipatory or precautionary actions, rather than lengthy deferrals and delays.”
Lifeline for journalism on behalf of robust democracy | Allan Fels |The Australian | 13 December 2019
More PIJI in the media
Government looks to boost eligibility for regional journalism grants | Fergus Hunter and Jennifer Duke | Sydney Morning Herald | 19 December 2019
OECD push for global minimum rate of tax on multinationals | Eryk Bagshaw, Jennifer Duke and Fergus Hunter | Sydney Morning Herald | 14 December 2019
The industry (mostly) welcomes the government’s response to ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry | Hannah Blackiston | Mumbrella | 13 December 2019
Crackdown on digital platforms ‘desperately urgent’, say experts | Gavin Coote | The World Today, ABC Radio | 13 December 2019
Other coverage
News Corp calls for ‘firmer action’ but media sector swings behind tech reforms
| Jennifer Duke and Fergus Hunter | Sydney Morning Herald | 12 December 2019
Coalition acts on tech giants | Zoe Samios | The Australian | 12 December 2019
The Public Interest Journalism Initiative’s first anniversary
The Public Interest Journalism Initiative is a non-partisan organisation that conducts research and proposes policy solutions to ensure a sustainable future for public interest journalism. PIJI operates as a Major Research Project of the newDemocracy Foundation.
On behalf of the PIJI board and staff, I wish to thank all of our supporters and contributors for your input during 2019.
We look forward to working with you further in 2020 to secure a sustainable future for public interest journalism in Australia – a future in which a variety of high quality journalism thrives, and we therefore, achieve PIJI’s aspirational obsolescence.
Diverse journalism is a benchmark of a healthy democracy.
A happy festive season to all.
Kind regards,
Anna Draffin
Interim Executive Director