Google's high-profile battle against Australian government regulators has taken another turn, with the tech giant reviving plans to launch its own news website there.
That's according to a local media outlet contracted by Google to provide content for the site.
The government has planned legislation to make the company pay local news providers for content that appears in its search engine. It's the first such law in the world.
Google said last week that the company would pull its flagship search tool from Australia if the laws went ahead.
Google's planned news site is called "News Showcase."
Misha Ketchell is the editor of the locally-contracted company called "The Conversation."
"From our point of view, there are a few advantages, one of which is their paying us for the content that we provide, which provides some money that we can use to hire journalists and to keep journalism going. And secondly, because of the way that they're curating this content, it makes it more discoverable so it helps you reach a wider audience, so that's why it's attractive from our point of view."
A spokesman for Google in Australia has declined to comment and two other local publishers confirmed they had content details in place for the news site, without discussing recent talks.
Under the planned laws, Google and social media giant Facebook must negotiate contracts with Australian outlets whose content drives traffic to their platforms. Google says it's simply unworkable.
The decision to push ahead with the launch is an apparent show of Google's willingness to run its own content deals, without the need for government-mandated legislation.
