Andrew Forrest Assists 8 Publishers In Australia To Negotiate Content With Google And Facebook

Alphabet Inc's Facebook and Google have been asked since March to negotiate with the Australian outlet. (photo credit: pixabay)

JAKARTA - The philanthropic organization founded by Australian mining billionaire Andrew Forrest will help 18 small news publishers in the country negotiate collectively with Google and Facebook. They want to secure a licensing agreement for the provision of news content.

The Minderoo Forrest Foundation on Monday 22 November said it would file an application with the country's competition regulator, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), allowing publishers to bid without violating competition laws.

Forrest, Australia's richest man, is chairman and largest shareholder of iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group. He has a net worth of about A$27.2 billion, according to the Australian Financial Review.

Alphabet Inc's Facebook and Google have been asked since March to negotiate with Australian outlets for content that drives traffic and advertising to their websites. Otherwise, the government can take over these negotiations.

The two companies have since reached licensing deals with most of Australia's major media companies. However, they have not entered into agreements with many small companies. The federal government is scheduled to begin a review of the legislation's effectiveness in March.

Frontier Technology, an initiative of Minderoo, said it would help publishers.

"Small Australian publishers producing public-interest journalism for their communities should be given the same opportunities as large publishers to negotiate for the public use of their content," Emma McDonald, Policy Director for Frontier Technology, said in a statement.

Google and Facebook did not immediately respond to search requests for comment.

The 18 small publishers include online publications that appeal to a multicultural audience and focus on issues at the local or regional level, McDonald said.

The move comes after the ACCC late last month allowed a body representing 261 radio stations to negotiate content deals.

News organizations, which have lost ad revenue from online aggregators, have complained for years about big tech companies using content in search results or other features without payment.