SINGAPORE – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday that he had a “constructive meeting” with Google chief Sundar Pichai after the technology giant threatened to pull the search engine out of the country for a potential new law.
In essence, Australia wants the Internet giants Facebook and Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, to pay for the news.
The government introduced a media bill in parliament in December. If adopted, the new media bargaining code would require digital platforms to pay local media and publishers to link their content to news feeds or search results. If the parties cannot reach an agreement, a group appointed by the government will decide on the price.
“I thought it was a constructive meeting,” Morrison told reporters, according to a transcript of a news conference posted by his office.
“I was able to send them the best possible signals that should give them great encouragement to get involved in the process and conclude the arrangements that we would like to see concluded with the various media organizations in Australia,” he said.
Morrison said Google raised specific aspects of the media bargaining code in the call and that discussions addressed the company’s ability to continue to provide services in Australia.
“At the end of the day, they understand that Australia sets the rules for how these things work. And I was very clear about how I saw this happening,” Morrison said, without further details.
Google did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.