The boss of the competition watchdog has labelled Google’s solution to the proposed news media bargaining code, its News Showcase product, another example of its empire-building take it or leave it proposition as Google claims its threat to pull its search engine from Australia was misrepresented.

Speaking to The Australian Financial Review, Rod Sims said there was nothing wrong with media companies negotiating deals with the search giant for inclusion in its News Showcase product.

Rod Sims says Google is trying to control the proposed news media bargaining code by limiting its scope to the yet-to-be-launched News Showcase product. Alex Ellinghausen

“What Google is saying is we want Showcase to be the only element around which you can have arbitration and since Google completely controls what Showcase is, how can you arbitrate on something that doesn’t exist and which they can control what it is, and therefore they can control the values so they can control the arbitration outcome,” the chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said.

“Google wanting Showcase to be the only focus of the arbitration is very much getting back to a take it or leave it proposition.”

Designed to level the playing field between traditional news media publishers and digital companies, the proposed legislation presses Google and Facebook to strike deals with publishers that would ensure news creators are paid fairly by the digital platforms for the value of journalism on their services, in line with a recommendation by the ACCC. .