Overview
The News Journalism Payments Act 2026 (Act No. 75, 2026) commenced on 26 August 2026. The Act is administered by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts. It establishes a scheme under which eligible news media corporations can apply to receive payments from the Australian Government.
How payments are calculated
Payments under the Act are calculated based on an eligible corporation's eligible editorial workforce. The Act defines the editorial workforce to include:
- Full-time equivalent staff
- Freelancers
- Volunteers
- Reduced FTE workers
The Act applies weighting factors for the following types of outlets:
- Small to medium businesses
- Regional or remote outlets
- Diverse communities outlets
Capacity retention obligation
The Act includes a capacity retention obligation. This requires payment recipients to maintain their editorial workforce at the levels they claimed in their application. Failure to meet this obligation can result in the government recovering payments already received as a debt.
Grants component
The Act also includes a grants component covering certain entities, corporations, and the Australian Associated Press. A limit applies to total grant amounts under this component.
Civil penalties
The Act provides for civil penalties in the following circumstances:
- Failing to give required notices
- Failing to report on a payment period
- Failing to keep records
Key actions
- Check whether a corporation qualifies as an eligible corporation under the Act by reviewing the definitions at legislation.gov.au/C2026A00075.
- Monitor the official Federal Register of Legislation page at legislation.gov.au/C2026A00075 for lodgement period dates and application requirements - applications require a statement of eligible editorial capacity and a capacity claim.
- If a payment is received, maintain the editorial workforce at the levels claimed to meet the capacity retention obligation, as failure to do so can result in recovery of payments as a debt.
- Set up an alert for updates to this Act via the Federal Register of Legislation at legislation.gov.au/C2026A00075 using the 'Set up an alert' function on the page.
- If a payment is received, file a report on each payment period and keep records, as civil penalties apply for failing to report or failing to keep records.
This is a plain-English summary for information only, not legal or compliance advice. Always check the official source or consult a qualified professional.