Meta has responded to comments made by News Corp executive chair Michael Miller in his address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, describing the suggestion that it "doesn’t respect Australian laws or community standards" as "preposterous".

In a scathing speech directed at Meta and its Big Tech alum, Miller called on the government to implement a 'Social License' scheme that would enforce tech monopolies to comply with Australian laws and standards, or else pack up shop. The framework proposed by Miller and News Corp would make Meta and its peers liable for the content amplified by their algorithms and require them to have call centres that handle consumer complaints, contribute to public spending on mental health, and compensate publishers and media companies under the Media Bargaining Code.

But Meta has taken issue with the premise of Miller's critique, with a spokesperson pointing to the company's collaboration with the Office of the eSafety Commissioner and other local regulators. "Over the years, Meta has restricted access to content in compliance with Australian laws and has responded to thousands of requests from Australian law enforcement agencies, working with them to prevent real-world harm," said the spokesperson.

"We’ve trained tens of thousands of young Australians in online safety, developed over 50 tools, features and resources to create safe, age-appropriate experiences, and have established a local Online Safety Advisory Group and a Combating Online Hate Advisory Group, consisting of Australian community organisations," the spokesperson said.

Meta also doubled down on its economic impact in the Australian market - a point that it has regularly rolled out in response to criticism of the company's decision to stop paying Australian publishers for news content.

"Since we began operating in Australia 15 years ago we've driven significant economic activity for Australian communities and businesses of all sizes. We look forward to continuing to make a positive contribution in Australia by bringing people and communities together and creating opportunities for businesses to grow," said the spokesperson.

After pulling a reported $70 million worth of publisher deals off the table in March, Meta said , Meta said its platforms had driven an estimated A$115 million worth of value for Australian news publishers in 2023, via $2.3 billion in “free clicks”.