It’s looming as a highly unlikely political marriage, but Pauline Hanson’s One Nation is considering a deal under which it would support left-leaning Senator Nick Xenophon’s proposal to force tech giants like Facebook and Google to face a consumer watchdog inquiry.
Xenophon’s proposals would see the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission probing Google and Facebook’s impact on the business models and advertising revenue of Australia’s traditional media companies.
Aussie Web publishers with less than $30 million in revenue would get a 40 percent tax break.
He is proposing to achieve this via amendments to the Turnbull Government’s media reform bill, being debated in the Senate this week.
A One Nation spokesman yesterday said the party would look closely at the proposed amendments and discuss them with Xenophon – and with Comms Minister Mitch Fifield.
