Regulator found a power imbalance between media and Google and Facebook
Australian government wants to pass a new law to force big tech to pay for news
Google has threatened to leave the Australian market if the code goes ahead
Facebook said it may be forced to stop Australians from seeing news content
Microsoft says it would never threaten to leave and has supported the code
Independent Senator Rex Patrick says it is not “socially moral” for Facebook's ad boosting revenue to go directly to Ireland, which allows the platform to avoid paying tax in Australia for the services.
When Australian businesses boost their ads on Facebook, they are charged an international transition fee paid in respect of Ireland, Senator Patrick explained speaking at Senate Economics Legislation Committee.
The advertising revenue goes to Ireland even through the service is being offered in Australia to an Australian customer.
Independent Senator Rex Patrick says Australians should stand up to China’s use of forced Uighur labour by boycotting the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
“Other things we ought to be doing is not attending the Beijing 2022 Olympics as well, sending a strong message because the Chinese are simply trying to wash this under the carpet,” he told Sky News host Rowan Dean.
He said China’s denial of the human rights abuses and use of the term “re-education camps” as where the Uighurs are kept is “one of the major problems” Australia has.
“We’ve got to stand up.”
Rex Patrick proposes bill to crack down on forced Uighur labour across China20/01/2021|6min
Independent Senator Rex Patrick has proposed legislation which would see the Australian government ban the import of any products where the supply chain utilises forced Uighur Labour across western China.
“We have to stand up,” Mr Patrick told Sky News host Rowan Dean.
He said the proposed bill would give the federal government a chance to “put rubber on the road” and join with international colleagues in making a statement about China’s “unacceptable” actions.
“There’s a lot of work that’s already been done by organisations such as the Australian Strategic Policy Institute that have delved into these supply chains and named the various different suppliers.”
Rex Patricks calls for amendments to Australia s foreign influence legislation16/12/2020|7min
Independent Senator Rex Patrick is calling for amendments to Australia’s foreign influence legislation to force Australians to declare membership of any foreign political party, arguing current legislations fall short in many ways .
His call comes after intelligence experts warned that Australia’s Beijing’s embassy was at risk of mistakenly hiring Chinese spies by using a Chinese government-controlled agency.
The Australian newspaper on Wednesday revealed the embassy was attempting to recruit consulate staff using an external hiring agency.
The report comes after a data leak uncovered at least 10 Shanghai consulates have members of the Chinese Communist Party working in senior positions.