Under the plan, big tech platforms would have to make at least six individual deals with news publishers – up from a previous four – to avoid paying the levy, set at a higher rate. The assistant treasurer, Daniel Mulino, who is leading the process, said on Monday that Australian media would expect to receive “$200 million to $250 million” in total under the arrangements. News Corp’s Australian chair, Michael Miller, claimed the government’s changes “gut the incentive for tech platforms to strike fair deals with Australian media”, saying the rules “need strengthening, not softening”. “On an already uneven playing field, getting this wrong won’t just hurt Australian media. He also worried that many outlets would miss out on benefit, with big tech companies only obliged to make six deals minimum.