Big tech companies could be forced to pay for Australian journalism under a reported plan from the federal government.

It’s expected to pressure tech giants to commit to a bargaining code with publishers and pay for news content shared on their platforms.

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, is currently at the centre of the stand-off, after its existing agreements with news publishers expired.

The other major player, Google, has current payment agreements in place but hasn’t promised to renew them.

Existing laws in Australia designed to encourage tech companies to pay for news can be circumvented if platforms such as Facebook remove traditional media entirely from their site.

Meta has done just that in Canada, and reportedly has suggested it could do so in Australia.

The Herald reported that the upcoming plan would also levy penalties on companies that were greater than the cost of publishing bargains, which are estimated to be worth a collective $1 billion over four years.