The federal government will not introduce the News Bargaining Incentive (NBI) legislation until after parliament's winter recess.
A government spokesperson told AdNews the government was working through responses to consultation.
"We are currently working through responses to consultation on the exposure draft legislation and are seeking to introduce the bill as soon as possible after the winter recess," the spokesperson said.
"The government is strongly committed to the News Bargaining Incentive and public interest journalism."
The drafted legislation is designed to push digital platforms into commercial deals with Australian publishers, with a 2.25% levy imposed on their Australian revenues if no deal is reached.
The legislation drew international criticism when first drafted, with the White House labelling it “foreign extortion" and the American Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), a trade group representing major US firms including Meta, Google, Apple, Amazon, Uber and Pinterest, calling it “discriminatory.”
The platforms themselves also opposed the legislation, with Google and Meta issuing statements opposing it.
In support, was a large number of Australian news publishers, who signed a joint statement formally backing the government's draft.
Some independent publishers, while backing the need for the NBI, have raised concerns over its design, with Man of Many and Country Press both calling for amendments to the draft.
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