Review of the Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA)

The Department of Communications and the Arts released a draft report of its review of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the independent body responsible for regulating the internet, telecommunications and broadcasting industries in Australia.  The purpose of the review was to examine ACMA and determine whether it has performed effectively in achieving good regulatory outcomes in the media and communications sectors.

The review started with the release of an Issues Paper on 13 July 2015, asking for initial stakeholder comment.

IGEA submitted a response on 17 August 2015. In short, we recommended that ACMA could become the single regulator responsible for the regulation of media content under the National Classification scheme, which was a recommendation of the Australian Law Reform Commission’s review of content regulation.

We have issued a further response to the Draft Report which can be found here.  In short, we believe that it is crucial for a single regulator to take primary responsibility for the administration and regulation of a new ‘fit for purpose’  National Classification Scheme.