Australia’s Seven West Media strikes partnership with Google; tech giant will pay for news content

Seven West Media (ASX: SWM) today announced it has entered into a letter of understanding to form a long-term partnership with Google to provide news content to the Google Showcase product which launched in Australia in early February.

The agreement will be subject to executing a long form agreement within the next 30 days.

Seven West Media Chairman Kerry Stokes AC said: “This is a great outcome for Seven West Media and for Google.”

“Our new partnership recognises the value, credibility and trust of our leading news brands and entertainment content across Seven and West Australian Newspapers.

“I’d like to thank Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Rod Sims, with particular recognition of Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who has been instrumental in the outcome of this ground-breaking agreement.

“Their outstanding leadership on the implementation of the proposed News Media Bargaining Code has resulted in us being able to conclude negotiations that result in fair payment and ensure our digital future,” he said.

The negotiations with Google recognise the value of quality and original journalism throughout the country and, in particular, in regional areas.

“Google is to be congratulated for taking a leadership position in Australia and we believetheir team is committed to the spirit of the proposed code.

Mel Silva, Managing Director for Google Australia and New Zealand, said: “We are proud to support original, trusted, and quality journalism and are excited to welcome Seven West Media today as a major Australian publishing partner to join Google News Showcase.”

Seven West Media is one of Australia’s leading integrated media companies across broadcast, print and digital news and joins with 21 publications across a variety of titles as diverse as The West Australian, 7NEWS, PerthNow, the Albany Advertiser, the Geraldton Guardian and the Broome Advertiser.

“Our partnership with Seven West Media sees us make a substantial investment in the future of journalism not just across the metropolitan areas, but importantly in regional areas too where titles like the Kalgoorlie Miner and the Harvey-Waroona Reporter are at the heart of the local community,” she said.

“Showcase has been very well received since its launch in Australia a little over a week ago with our publisher partners receiving one million views of their content in just eight days, demonstrating that Showcase offers a constructive path forward for publishers, readers, and Google.”

Seven West Media Managing Director and CEO, James Warburton, welcomed today’s announcement.

https://breaking911.com/breaking-australias-seven-west-media-strikes-partnership-with-google-tech-giant-will-pay-for-news-content/

Young staffer Brittany Higgins says she was raped at Parliament House

A young Liberal Party staffer alleges she was raped at Parliament House and claims she felt forced to choose between reporting it to the police or keeping her job.

A Liberal Party staffer has alleged she was raped at Parliament House in Defence Minister Linda Reynolds’ ministerial office by a colleague, and claims she felt forced to choose between reporting it to the police or keeping her job.

In explosive allegations detailing the Morrison Government’s handling of the incident, media adviser Brittany Higgins has told news.com.au that she spent the last two years “internalising the trauma”.

She has also revealed that she was brought to a formal employment meeting about the incident in the room where she was allegedly raped — a decision the Morrison Government has now accepted was an error by the then Defence Industry Minister Linda Reynolds.

Ms Higgins was just 24 at the time of the incident and only months into her “dream job” of working at parliament.

She said the horror night quickly emerged as a crisis to be managed by her successive chiefs of staff, cabinet ministers and even staff in the Prime Minister’s office.

The alleged sexual assault occurred on the evening of March 23, 2019, just weeks before Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the election on April 10, 2019.

After a night of drinking with colleagues, Ms Higgins alleges she was assaulted in her own office by another Liberal staffer who she says was regarded as a “rising star” in the party.

She remembers the man buying “lots of rounds of drinks” at the event before it was suggested he lived in the same direction and his taxi could drop her home on the way.

Instead, he took her to Parliament House.

“I didn’t have a pass. I was in a cocktail dress,” she said.

“At that point I was very intoxicated. I thought, ‘Well, I am well and truly done. I need to go.’ And so there were only four of us left. We were going the same way.”

Ms Higgins said she was so affected by alcohol and did not have her security pass that the Liberal staffer needed to sign her in with security officers.

From that moment, CCTV vision tracked the pair’s every move in Parliament House towards Senator Reynolds’ office.

After arriving at the office, Ms Higgins said she remembers sitting on a window ledge that overlooked the Prime Minister’s courtyard.

She began to feel unwell and lay down on the couch. It was then she woke up to the Liberal staffer having sex with her.

“All of sudden he was on top of me and I physically couldn’t get him off of me,’’ she said.

“I woke up mid-rape. I told him to stop. I was crying. He wasn’t even looking at me. It felt like I was sort of a body that was there. It didn’t feel like it was anything about me.”

Ms Higgins said it felt like there was pressure on her leg during the alleged assault, and has photographs of a bruise on her leg that she says was from that pressure.

https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/parliament-house-rocked-by-brittany-higgins-alleged-rape/news-story/fb02a5e95767ac306c51894fe2d63635

Crown CEO Ken Barton resigns following scathing report into casino giant

Ken Barton has stepped down as CEO and managing director of Crown Resorts following last week's scathing report into the gambling giant.

Key points:

Ken Barton was found to be "no match" to run a casino by the gaming regulator

An inquiry found he should have launched a full investigation into money laundering allegations

Mr Barton is the fourth board member to resign in the last week

In a statement, Crown said it was determined to take "significant steps" to improve governance, compliance and culture.

Helen Coonan will lead the company as executive chairman while the board searches for a new CEO.

An investigation commissioned by NSW's Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) last week concluded Crown was unsuitable to operate a licence for its new Sydney casino in its current form.

A report by Commissioner Patricia Bergin found there was likely no future in the company for Mr Barton.

Mr Barton said in a statement he was committed to assisting with a leadership transition.

"I am absolutely certain the business is now on the right path as it works to restore confidence in its operations," he said.

Mr Barton has spent more than a decade with Crown, initially as its chief financial officer before being appointed as CEO in January 2020 as the Bergin inquiry began.

During his time at Crown he was also the director of two VIP bank accounts at the centre of money laundering allegations.

Commissioner Bergin found Mr Barton was "no match for what is needed at the helm of a casino licensee".

"His problems will not be cured by the appointment of people expert in the field who report to him", she stated in her final report.

She found Mr Barton should have launched a full investigation into money laundering allegations by the time the inquiry began.

Mr Barton was also accused of misleading shareholders at an annual general meeting in 2019 when he said "general" information was being shared between Crown and James Packer's company Consolidated Press Holdings (CPH) when in reality that information was confidential.

"Mr Barton's conduct at the Annual General Meeting in October 2019 as the CFO of Crown was quite improper," the report stated.

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"However his attempts in the witness box on 23 September 2020 to justify his conduct at the Annual General Meeting, were even more inappropriate for the CEO and director of Crown and director of the licensee.

"It demonstrated a serious lack of judgment and insight into the expectation of the highest standards of property, candour and co-operation of a director of a company that holds a casino licence."

Last week three Crown directors, Andrew Demetriou, Michael Johnston and Guy Jalland, also resigned, allowing the company to mount an "ambitious reform program", according to Ms Coonan.

Mr Packer's CPH cut its ties with Crown's board after terminating its consultancy contract with non-executive board member John Poynton.

Ms Coonan last week apologised for the company's "shortcomings" and said the criticism by the regulator was warranted.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-15/crown-ceo-ken-barton-resigns-after-sydney-casino-report/13154690

Cabal Jews

After chat with Mark Zuckerberg from Facebook, Treasurer thinks deals under media code are 'very close'

Media organisations such as News Corp, Nine Entertainment and the ABC are "very close" to a potential windfall from tech giants under major media reform, according toTreasurer Josh Frydenberg.

Key points:

The Treasurer spoke to top executives Mark Zuckberg from Facebook and Sundar Pichai from Google over the weekend

The conversations were about new laws that would force tech companies to negotiate with media companies over how much to pay them for news content

Google is opposed to the proposal and has threatened to withdraw its search engine from Australia

But the move to force media companies and Facebook and Google to the negotiating table remains contentious, and Microsoft is seeking to exploit the opportunity.

Mr Frydenberg revealed he spoke with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on Sunday.

"I spoke to him just yesterday, and I have been speaking as recently as this morning as well as over the weekend with Sundar [Pichai], the head of Google," he told AM.

"They are very focused on what's happening here in Australia, but I sense they are also trying to reach deals, and that is welcome."

On Friday, a Government-controlled Senate committee recommended the news media and digital platforms mandatory bargaining code be passed. The report included support from Labor and the Greens.

The code is designed to ensure media companies are fairly remunerated for the use of their content on search engines and social media platforms.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-15/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-news-bargaining-code/13154596