Government gives ABC an early Christmas present

Rowland said the steps announced reaffirmed the independence of the ABC and SBS, and would protect them from future political interference. On Monday, the government also announced it will make available $153 million across four years to implement the News Media Assistance Program (MAP), to support smaller publishers.

The announcements follow a busy end to the year for the government and Rowland’s office. Last week, Rowland and Deputy Treasurer Stephen Jones announced a new media bargaining incentive policy in a bid to strong-arm digital giants Meta, Google and TikTok into compensating news publishers.

Rowland’s office also introduced, in late November, policy to ban Australians under 16 years of age from using social media. However, some bills have failed, or are yet to be seen, including the government’s misinformation bill, which was scrapped. Policy to curb gambling advertising, overseen by Rowland’s office, is also off the cards for now, 18 months after a cross-party select committee recommended a total ban.

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