The Australian Government is modernising the Scheme to ensure it remains a relevant and reliable source of information for Australians.
The consultation is part of a two-stage process to reform the National Classification Scheme and make it fit for the modern media environment.
To inform the development of the second stage of reforms, industry and public views are now being sought on 3 key issues:
clarifying the scope and purpose of the scheme, including the types of content that should be subject to classification
ensuring the classification guidelines continue to be aligned with, and responsive to, evolving community standards, expectations and evidence, and
establishing fit-for-purpose governance and regulatory arrangements for the scheme, under a single national regulator responsible for media classification.
Submissions can be made online until 5pm AEST on 30 May 2024.
This process builds on reforms that commenced last month under the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Amendment (Industry Self-Classification and Other Measures) Act 2023.
The Government’s first stage of reforms will be implemented in full this year, making it easier for industry to self-classify content; expanding exemptions from classification for low-risk cultural content made available by libraries and cultural institutions; and enabling content classified for broadcast to be shown in other formats using the same classification, where this content has not been modified.
