By: The Guardian
February 9, 2021
Facebook and Google have recruited five of Australia’s most influential lobbying firms, some with close ties to the Morrison government, as they press their case against the proposed news media code.
This small army of highly paid lobbyists, which includes former prime ministerial staffers, has been central to the digital giants’ attempts to influence the direction of the legislation behind the scenes.
Last week Google launched its News Showcase product in Australia as Morrison said he had a “constructive” conversation with the global head of Google, Sundar Pichai, after Google threatened to remove its search engine from Australia.