Federal Member for Calare Andrew Gee has joined vehement choruses urging Facebook to reverse its snap decision to block news content from its platform in Australia, labelling the decision 'unacceptable and arrogant'.
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In what Mr Gee called 'an assault on our democratic nation', Facebook restricted Australian and international news access on the social media platform on Wednesday night, following through on its threat to do so from last September.
It comes as a result of failed negotiations with the federal government regarding its news media bargaining code, which would force major tech giants like Facebook and Google to pay news outlets for their content.
Facebook's decision to block Australians from ... news on its site is unacceptable and arrogant. This is an assault on our democratic nation
- Federal Member for Calare Andrew Gee
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he 'won't be intimidated' by the social media giant, particularly after Google signed an agreement with News Corp despite joining Facebook in initial claims the code would unfairly penalise digital platforms.
"I call on Facebook to immediately reverse its decision," Mr Gee said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.
"Facebook's decision to block Australians from sharing or viewing Australian and international news on its site is unacceptable and arrogant. This is an assault on our democratic nation.
"The Australian government is not backing down on bringing in its [code] for digital platforms, which aims to give Australian media organisations a fair return on the content they provide.
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"(I) encourage [Facebook] to work constructively towards reaching an agreement with news organisations in the spirit of collaboration and good faith."
Mr Gee particularly slammed Facebook blocking non-news pages like government, emergency services and non-profit information sources, although they were largely reinstated shortly after initial restrictions.
Those pages included tourism feed Orange360 along with the Bereau of Meteorology, 1800RESPECT and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services on top of vital emergency information pages like the NSW Rural Fire Service.
"For too long Facebook has operated as if it's in the wild-west, totally free of any laws of the land. [Wednesday's] action is another example of its flagrant disregard for regulators and all Australians," Mr Gee fired.
"[The move to block non-news services] is reckless by Facebook. This goes far beyond the content covered by the News Media Bargaining Code."
Facebook argues the government's legislation 'fundamentally misunderstands' the relationship between the platform and publishers, however Mr Gee argued it is partly about solidifying Australian media's long-term future.
"[It's] is about giving Australia's news organisations a fair deal ... it's time for Facebook to put people over profit," he said.
"Australians want Facebook and Google to remain operating in Australia - but we also rightly expect them to comply with our laws.
"Facebook raises hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising revenue in Australia and it needs to pay its fair share, including for news content.
"Here is Australia, we believe that our hardworking news media businesses deserve to be fairly remunerated for the content they generate and which digital platforms, like Facebook, benefit from.
"By blocking quality news Facebook is damaging its own reputation regarding the reliability of information on its site.
"The Australian people want a diverse and well-resourced news media sector. It is a critical part of our democracy."
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Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
