Australia says Facebook will lift its Australian news ban

Australia's government announced on Tuesday that Facebook agreed to lift its ban on Australians sharing news after a deal was struck on legislation that would make digital giants pay for journalism.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Facebook confirmed that they had reached agreement on amendments to proposed legislation that would make the social network and Google pay for news that they feature.

Facebook blocked Australian users from accessing and sharing news last week after the House of Representatives passed the draft law late Wednesday.

The Senate will debate amended legislation on Tuesday.

Google has been signing up Australia's largest media companies in content licensing deals through its News Showcase model.

The platform says it has struck deals with more than 50 Australian titles through Showcase and more than 500 publishers globally using the model which was launched in October.

Facebook said it will now negotiate deals with Australian publishers under its own model, Facebook News.