Google and the Australian government are currently in a deadlock, potentially leading to the search engine leaving the country for good. However, Microsoft is keen to swoop in and save the day with its own Bing search engine.

Microsoft's Challenge to Google

This news comes to us from Forbes. If you're unsure as to why Google and Australia are trading blows in the first place, we need to take a step back in time.

The problems began when Australia's government announced its plan to help journalism online. The proposed plan stated that if Google or Facebook showed content or a snippet from a media website, they'd have to pay the website fees for using the content. The idea was to stop large companies from using other's work for free.

Google and Facebook rebelled against the new law, the former threatening to pull its search engine from Australia entirely. Google explained that the removal of Google would be a huge blow to the Australian public.

However, Microsoft is keen to get a foot in the door. Its search engine, Bing, is the second most-used search engine in Australia. It's not a giant accolade, as Bing's Australian market share of 3.6 percent is just a little short of Google's 95 percent—however, it's still second place.

Fortunately, Microsoft isn't going to back down from the challenge of picking up that 95 percent for themselves. The CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, commented to reporters that said: “I can tell you, Microsoft’s pretty confident." Plus, Microsoft has had a history of saying that Bing is bigger than you think.

Will Australia Swallow the Bing Pill?

If the Australian government does go ahead with the law and Google goes through with its threat, it'll be an interesting time for tech enthusiasts in the land down under.

Not only will 95 percent of Australia's internet users have to swap search engines, but it also casts doubt on the future of other Google services like Android and the Home Hub.

If this happens, Microsoft will have its work cut out to give Australia the same level of service that Google gave them. If not, we'll have to see how the public responds.

Is Bing the New Big Thing for Australia?

With Google and the Australian government locking horns, Microsoft is keen to slide in should the search engine giant make good on its threats. If Google does leave, will Australia adopt Bing as the next big thing?

If you haven't touched Bing since its inception, Microsoft has been working away to make it even better. For instance, you can now easily search for recipes using Microsoft's search engine.

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