A draft version of the code should be ready by the end of July, although it’s not certain when a finalized version would appear.

We’ve asked Facebook and Google for comment. They’ve typically resisted paying for news, arguing that they’re merely linking to it. However, the momentum is clearly against them in some cases. Countries like France have ordered internet firms to pay for showing news article snippets, and Google has gone so far as to remove news previews. Australia’s code might not have its intended effect if companies simply find ways to avoid payments.

Update 4/20 8:15AM ET: Both Facebook and Google have responded, and neither is particularly thrilled with the shift to a mandatory code. Facebook’s Managing Director for the region, Will Easton, was “disappointed” with the move: