Top UK media bosses have described a threat from Google to leave Australia if it is forced to pay for news content as “slightly hollow” and “overplaying its hand”, urging regulators to stay “very firm and very strong”.

Google has claimed it would have “no choice” but to stop its search engine from working in Australia if plans go through for a mandatory bargaining code to force it to pay publishers and negotiate for fair fees.

Google Australia’s managing director Mel Silva said: “The ability to link freely between websites is fundamental to search. This code creates an unreasonable and unmanageable financial and operational risk to our business.”