Google says it will turn off search in Australia if it is forced to pay for the news

Asked about Google’s statement, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: “People who want to work with this in Australia, you are welcome. But we do not respond to threats. Silva denies that her statement posed a threat. “It’s a reality,” she said, adding that shooting Search in the country is the “worst case”. She said making payments to media for content would break Google’s business and that the proposal “would set an untenable precedent for [its] businesses and the digital economy. She added: “It is not compatible with how search engines work or how the Internet works.” In a blog post posted by the company, she said she “is committed to achieving actionable code and seeing a clear path to getting there.”

Besides Google, Facebook has also opposed mandatory payments from the start. The social network has not threatened to leave Australia if the proposal becomes law, but it would no longer be able to offer news as a product.