News Corp Australia chief backs Albanese’s decision to decline Meta talks
Revelations of Albanese’s decision, first reported by Capital Brief, have split media executives and sparked criticism from the Coalition.
News Corp’s Australian chief Michael Miller has backed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s decision to decline a meeting with Meta’s top global public affairs executive, as the Coalition accused the government of weakness in its dealings with tech giants.
Emails obtained by Capital Brief on Tuesday revealed that Albanese, through representatives, declined an offer from former British deputy prime minister and Meta’s president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, to discuss Meta’s decision to drop deals with media companies.
The revelation has privately concerned some media executives, but Miller, News Corp’s Australasian Executive Chairman and a vocal supporter of taking strong action against Meta under the news media bargaining code and beyond, strongly endorsed the move.
“From my brief dealings with Meta I can see why the prime minister would not waste his time,” Miller told Capital Brief. “The government has been strong in its words on Meta and I am confident the ministers responsible will be equally clear and strong in their actions.”
