SYDNEY—Australian small publishers will get a leg up in their fight to secure licensing deals with Google and Facebook after the country’s richest person said his philanthropic organisation would seek a collective bargaining arrangement for them. The Minderoo Foundation, owned by Andrew Forrest, chairman of iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group, plans to help 18 small publishers by applying to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on their behalf so they can negotiate together without breaching competition laws. Forrest’s extra clout as well as the differing approaches to small publishers by Google and Facebook could build momentum for the Australian government to intervene and set fees. Australia broke new ground with a law that has since March required the two tech giants to negotiate with Australian outlets for content that drives traffic and advertising to their websites. But while most major news providers have secured deals, many small publishers …