Australia treasurer calls Facebook "wrong" to block news feeds

Facebook was "wrong" to block news content from Australian users' news feeds in response to planned laws which would make the social media company pay for content, Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Thursday.

Overnight, the social media giant cleared out the news feeds of dozens of Australian media and public information pages in a dramatic escalation of a dispute with the government over paying for content.

"Facebook was wrong. Facebook's actions were unnecessary, they were heavy-handed, and they will damage its reputation here in Australia," said Frydenberg at a televised news conference.