The Greens have proposed a tech tax to support traditional media and eliminate all gambling advertisements, in response to broadcasters seeking compensation for Labor’s proposed restrictions. On Wednesday, Sarah Hanson-Young, the Greens’ communications spokesperson, urged Australians to reject Bill Shorten’s claim that free-to-air TV needs gambling ad revenue to survive. She criticized this argument as a “lie” and suggested instead implementing a tech tax on major global companies like Meta, Google, and TikTok, which profit from journalism and content.
Hanson-Young’s remarks precede a report from the joint select committee on social media, which will address Meta’s decision not to renew media funding deals. Anthony Albanese confirmed on August 8 that the government is considering a social media levy and tech tax, asserting that these companies shouldn’t “ride free” off traditional media.
Media companies are lobbying for a phase-in period and compensation for proposed gambling ad restrictions. Labor’s plan includes banning gambling ads online, during children’s programming, and during live sports broadcasts and an hour before and after, while allowing two ads per hour in general TV programming. This proposal does not affect search engine revenues.
Free TV Australia, which estimates that free-to-air TV and radio receive over $200 million from gambling ads, is calling for compensation, including the elimination of the $50 million commercial broadcasting tax on transmitter licenses. Bridget Fair, CEO of Free TV Australia, emphasized the need to balance the revenue impact by reducing regulatory burdens on broadcasters and supporting local news production.
The Alliance for Gambling Reform announced a shareholder activism campaign, planning resolutions for the annual general meetings of Nine Entertainment and Seven West Media. Tim Costello, the alliance’s chief advocate, bought shares in these companies to push for change, criticizing the media companies for being out of touch with public sentiment on gambling ads.
Hanson-Young also confirmed that the Greens will push to amend an unrelated broadcasting bill to test Labor’s stance on a total gambling ad ban. Bill Shorten had previously claimed that free-to-air TV is struggling due to social media competition and needs gambling ad revenue to survive. Hanson-Young dismissed this as a “furphy” and an excuse not to implement the total ban proposed by the bipartisan inquiry led by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy.
The government’s partial ban has faced criticism from health advocates, independent MPs, and members of the Senate and its own backbench. On Wednesday, Senator David Pocock moved urgently for the Senate to recognize the need for a comprehensive, phased-in ban on all online gambling advertising over three years.
