# Facebook befriends Australia again, after striking a deal with Canberra government on new law

The social-media company Facebook said on Tuesday that it would restore Australian news on its platform, after striking a deal with the Canberra government on a new law that will force big technology companies to pay for news.

• Facebook last week had blocked Australian users from sharing and using news on its site, in protest against the government’s bill.

• Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg have since then negotiated a compromise on what Facebook called “a number of changes and guarantees” addressing the group’s concerns.

• The changes notably involve the arbitration program that will be used if the tech groups don’t reach a deal with news publishers. The mandatory mechanism will now only be triggered after a two-month mediation period. 

• Tech giant Google
  GOOGL,
  -1.25%
  has already signed a number of deals to pay for news on its own platform, including a landmark global agreement with News Corp
  NWSA,
  -0.13%
  that includes the company’s Australian newspapers. (News Corp owns MarketWatch, the publisher of this report.)

• Facebook
  FB,
  +1.76%
  “has refriended Australia,” and it and Google have sought a “workable” code because “they know that the eyes of the world” are on the country, Frydenberg said on Tuesday.

The outlook: The agreement with the Australian government provides Facebook with a face-saving exit out of a tricky public relations situation, after the backlash triggered last week by its Australian boycott. The question now is whether the Australian law will serve as a model for other countries or regions of the world.