Behind closed doors, Trump administration pushes back on Labor’s streaming quotas
The US Embassy has directly raised concerns about the policy in Canberra, raising the stakes for the Albanese government as it pursues an aggressive tech reform agenda.
The Trump administration has privately raised concerns over Labor’s plans to force US streaming platforms to invest in Australian content, as the Albanese government works to push the bill through the Senate before the end of the year.
Officials from the US embassy raised concerns about the policy with the Australian government in recent weeks, two people briefed on the matter granted anonymity to discuss confidential information told Capital Brief. The quotas were announced on 4 November, and a bill to legislate them was introduced to the House of Representatives in Parliament on 6 November.
The Trump administration’s concerns significantly raise the stakes for the Australian government as it moves to advance work on a tech and media reform agenda targeting some of America’s biggest companies without provoking retaliation from Washington.
Streaming video platforms have suggested the policy could run afoul of Australia’s free trade deal with the US, and nearly a year ago the US warned it would investigate countries that impose “discriminatory or extraterritorial taxes” on its companies and citizens.
