The Insurance Council of Australia and National Insurance Brokers Association say their communications were unaffected by a decision by Facebook to ban links to Australian news items last week.

But some industry pages did not fare so well, with LMI Group no longer able to post blogs on Facebook after the social media heavyweight removed all news posts from its platform in response to a proposed media bargaining code.

"Please visit the news section on our website for further updates,” the LMI Group Facebook page says.

Facebook has prohibited publishers and people in Australia from sharing or viewing Australian and international news content in response to proposed media bargaining laws, saying it was unable to find a solution in discussions with the Australian government.

"The proposed law fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers who use it to share news content," Facebook's Australia and New Zealand Managing Director William Easton said.

"It has left us facing a stark choice: attempt to comply with a law that ignores the realities of this relationship, or stop allowing news content on our services in Australia. With a heavy heart, we are choosing the latter."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the move was “arrogant” and “disappointing”.

Many Facebook pages were affected, including interruptions to communication by charities and services such as the Bureau of Meteorology, Fire and Rescue NSW, South Australia Health, Queensland Health, the Medical Journal of Australia and the Australian Council of Trade Unions.

• insuranceNEWS.com.au’s Facebook updates have been affected by the ban. Subscribers will continue to receive emails as normal, and can follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.