Pay Up - Quality News Starts with Quality Jobs

Pay Up - Quality News Starts with Quality Jobs

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Journalists uncover truth, hold power to account, and keep our communities informed.

But right now, Australia’s news industry is in crisis.

  • Over 19,500 journalism jobs lost since 2008
  • Regional news is disappearing
  • Freelancers are underpaid and unsupported
  • Misinformation is on the rise

Big tech profits from news, without fairly supporting the people who produce it. The News Media Bargaining Incentive will help ensure that big tech pays for news content – but the incentive is not enough on its own.

We’re calling on the Federal Government to ensure:

  • Funding goes directly to journalists and photojournalists
  • Stronger support for ...

Journalists uncover truth, hold power to account, and keep our communities informed.

But right now, Australia’s news industry is in crisis.

  • Over 19,500 journalism jobs lost since 2008
  • Regional news is disappearing
  • Freelancers are underpaid and unsupported
  • Misinformation is on the rise

Big tech profits from news, without fairly supporting the people who produce it. The News Media Bargaining Incentive will help ensure that big tech pays for news content – but the incentive is not enough on its own.

We’re calling on the Federal Government to ensure:

  • Funding goes directly to journalists and photojournalists
  • Stronger support for regional and First Nations media workers
  • Freelancers are valued and included in the outcomes
  • Fair pay and conditions across the industry

Sign the petition today.

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Pay Up! Quality News starts with Quality Jobs

Big tech giants are profiting from journalist's work without consultation, consent or compensation, and are undermining the Australian public’s trust in what they see and hear.

The consequences for independent, rigorous public-interest journalism have been disastrous.

It’s time for big tech to pay up and support the journalism it relies on.

To Anika Wells, Federal Minister for Communications,

Journalists and photojournalists uncover truth, hold power to account, report without fear or favour, amplify diverse voices, and equip Australians with the news they need to be informed participants in our democracy. Through investigation, fact-checking, and evidence-gathering, we tell human stories and document history with fairness, accuracy, and honesty.

Tech giants have disrupted our industry, captured our audiences, profited from our work without consultation, consent or compensation, and undermined the Australian public’s trust in what they see and hear. The consequences for independent, rigorous public-interest journalism have been disastrous.

  • More than 19,500 journalists in Australia have lost their jobs since 2008, a reduction in the workforce of approximately 20%. 

  • More than 200 regional and community newspapers have ceased printing or closed completely over the last decade, and media ownership is so concentrated its now classified as oligopolistic 

  • Only 6% of journalists come from non-European backgrounds, and racism, burnout and trauma regularly drives Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander journalists to leave the industry entirely

  • Wages and working conditions have declined, as journalists are forced to do more with less

A third of our industry is now made up of freelance gig workers, who work without minimum standards on pay and conditions. Despite being a vital part of the media ecosystem, these workers are treated as second-class citizens in bigger newsrooms. They are also essential for small and mid-sized outlets that can’t compete with huge media outlets that dominate the market.

Last year:

  • 67% of freelancers earned less than the minimum wage

  • 81% of freelancers worked jobs that paid no superannuation

  • 50% of freelancers said low pay and insecure conditions led to them spending less time on fact-checking, research and quality control

Misinformation is spreading, news deserts are growing and communities are in the dark.

It’s time for big tech to pay up and support the journalism it relies on.

The Federal Government’s News Media Bargaining Incentive must:

  1. Direct all funds raised through this scheme to journalist and photojournalist jobs - both employee and freelance - no matter whether media outlets receive funds through private deals or distributed from Government levies. 
  2. Target areas of public need by supporting the careers of First Nations journalists and regional media
  3. Guarantee fair pay and conditions for working journalists 
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