Google and Facebook are fronting a senate inquiry on Friday, after threatening to derail future investments in Australia over the government’s media law reforms.

Google says it will have no choice but to make Google Search unavailable in Australia if the government succeeds in implementing its new media code forcing big tech companies to pay for Australian news content.

In a massive escalation of its opposition, Google Australia and New Zealand managing director Mel Silva said the trillion-dollar US firm would no longer allow Australians to use its search engine if the government enacted the news media bargaining code as proposed.

It is the first clear threat from Google in response to the laws.

Google and Facebook are fronting a senate inquiry on Friday, after threatening to derail future investments in Australia over the government’s media law reforms.

Silva said a provision in the law requiring the company to pay for links and snippets, would make keeping Google Search unviable in Australia.

“The principle of unrestricted linking between websites is fundamental to search and coupled with the unmanageable financial and operational risk,” she said.

“If this version of the code were to become law, it would give us no real choice but to stop making Google Search available in Australia.

“Now that would be a bad outcome for us, but also for the Australian people media diversity, and the small businesses who use our products every day.

“Now withdrawing our services from Australia is the last thing that I or Google want to have happen, especially when there is another way forward.”

The removal of Google’s search engine in Australia could have a significant impact on internet users and their ability to use the worldwide web.

Stand strong Australia!