Dear individual,

What do you mean no input?

At the very least the government supports a functioning generally affluent society through the redistribution of wealth and thereby creating a marketplace in which Google thrives.

It should be paying its due. Why do you think it shouldn't?

If indeed the use of a search engine has become an essential service, then it needs to be provided as an Australian public service.
Unless looking particularly for American content, why should anyone have to use the services of American corporations?

Same BTW for E-mail, bank accounts, water, electricity, telephone, fire-fighting and whatever else is deemed to be essential.

In any case, no web content should be searchable without the consent of the owners - and news sites are no exception!

These American bastards have been abusing our privacy left right and center, including by photographing all our streets from every possible direction and even our backyards from the air. Enough is enough!

Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc are amongst the biggest and wealthiest companies in the world based on the advertising revenue they generate. As much of this ad revenue is based on the news harvested from news agencies for which nothing is paid and which results in 1000s of jobs (and tax) being lost in these news organisations there is a strong argument for restitution.

Over and above this they are monopolies that abuse their position and ought to be broken up as was Bell telephones. However, in the interim, I would settle for them paying fair value for what they use.

..... the biggest and wealthiest companies ....
shadowminister,
They become wealthy because average Joe Blows desire the products wether they need them or not. Just look at the utter crap on YouTube, Google etc. If no-one looked at these idiotic things, these companies wouldn't show them for a minute longer.
The internet is clogged with teenie-popper rubbish, advertising for rubbish etc why ? Because people or rather indoctrinated morons demand it.
Start up an Australian search engine & be done with it. A search engine that filters the brain-deadening rubbish !

This article gives a very good insight into this topic:

"The old news business model is broken: making Google and Facebook pay won’t save journalism"

http://theconversation.com/the-old-news-business-model-is-broken-making-google-and-facebook-pay-wont-save-journalism-150357

There is a reference to saving journalism (or journalists) and not the commercial operators themselves. This is a valid point, but if you simply say provide more finance to the ABC for example, you will get a lot of the same as they generally operate the same, year after year. In terms of current affairs and discussion programs for example, I feel the ABC aims to a very similar audience, to avoid offence.

The ABC does though do good programming in other areas, like radio for example.

One also needs to realise with public (Government) funded media it can be controlled by the Government. One only needs to look at China for example and control over society.

Social media is still popular and it is also filled with Government and political propaganda in Australia. A Government Facebook page, a Facebook page of a State/Territory Premier or the Prime Minister will simply aim to drive you down a certain pathway and manipulate your thoughts.

It has been highlighted on another page, the only way to get a more diverse media and to see it keep going, is to see such media run and operated by the community (that is not Government funded), with an aim to provide quality news, (with no advertising) to the public.

Bazz, you can use others' work under 'fair dealing' laws, from TC:

'Australian copyright law sets out five situations where use of copyrighted material without permission may be allowed: research or study, criticism or review, parody or satire, reporting the news and provision of legal advice.'

https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-fair-dealing-and-when-can-you-copy-without-permission-80745

Related to taxes paid i.e. $AUD100 million by Google in Oz, how does this compare to NewsCorp in Oz?

'in five years News Corp has paid $8.5 million in tax on more than $680 million in profits and $13 billion in revenue.' (Crikey 11 Dec '20)

According to Michael West Media on NewsCorp, in 'Inside Rupert’s Big Aussie Sale: Murdoch smuggles Foxtel – and its government grants – out of the country' 1 Dec '20, on another major US company:

'Rupert Murdoch has funnelled Foxtel out of News Corp Australia to a mysterious entity in the secrecy jurisdiction of Delaware. Michael West reports on the secret transactions which appear designed to sell News Corp’s Australian media business....

Keeping tabs on this breathtaking chutzpah of the Murdoch clan:

- News Corp wins Pay TV licence for Foxtel.
- Foxtel makes billions in profits.
- Pays almost no tax.
- Is allowed to take over rivals such as Austar to entrench its monopoly.
- Is given government grants without reasonable explanation.
- News Corp then quietly shifts it overseas.'

Rather than holding power to account Australian parties and MPs see their role as serving media power, without constraints.... very Australian?