Australian Law Reform Commission Paper on Film and Game Classification

The Australian Law Reform Commission has published an Issues Paper for its National Classification Scheme Review:

"It discusses the important distinctions to be made between censorship and classification, and issues concerning what should be classified and who should do the classifying, in the context of rapid change in the media industries and media consumption patterns in a converging technological environment. It also discusses various options for revising the regulatory framework, including direct government regulation, co-regulation with industry, and industry self-regulation."

"In releasing the Issues Paper, the ALRC is seeking wide community input into reform of the classification system, with the aim of advising on a regulatory framework that:

• is consistent across media industries, platforms, and devices
• meets community expectations and is readily understood by the public
• enables Australians to have ready access to a diverse range of forms of information and entertainment content across media platforms
• ensures that appropriate safeguards exist to restrict the availability of inappropriate content, particularly for children
• minimises the costs and regulatory burdens of compliance, and promotes competition and innovation
• is enforceable and promotes public trust in the regulatory system."