Australia PM, Google boss hold ‘constructive’ talk

Google head Sundar Pichai

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had a "constructive" meeting on Thursday with the head of Google after the tech giant threatened to remove its search engine from the country over plans to make digital platforms pay for news.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Pics/AFP

Morrison also welcomed the support of Google rival Microsoft, which has touted Australia's proposed laws that would make Google and Facebook pay as an example for the rest of the world.

Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google, initiated the online meeting with Morrison to discuss the draft laws that were introduced to Parliament in December.

"I thought it was a constructive meeting," Morrison said. "I think I've been able to send them the best possible signals that should give them a great encouragement to engage with the process."

Morrison said he was clear with Pichai that "Australia sets the rules for how these things operate." Google declined to comment on the meeting.

The law would initially only apply to Google and Facebook, but the government could add other platforms in the future if Google abandoned Australia.