This document summarizes key questions and proposals from a symposium on informal media economies and the regulation of online content. It discusses questions around the objectives and scope of a national classification scheme, whether the technology or platform used to access content should affect its classification, and the respective roles of government, industry, and users in regulating content. It also proposes that a new National Classification Scheme and Classification of Media Content Act be enacted to define "media content" and "media content provider" in a platform-neutral way. Certain commercially produced films, television programs, and computer games would need to be classified before distribution, while some content like news and films at cultural events would be exempt from classification requirements.

1. CCI Symposium, ‘Informal
Media Economies’ session
Professor Terry Flew,
Australian Law Reform Commission
ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative
Industries and Innovation, University of New
South Wales, 16-17 November, 2011

2. Information graphics (infographics)
Charles Minard, representation of Napoleon’s march on Moscow, created in
1861
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6. framework for classification, or improving key elements of
the existing framework?
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7. Q2: What should be the primary objectives of a
national classification scheme?
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8. Q3: Should the technology or platform used to access content
affect whether content should be classified, and, if so, why?
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9. Verticals and horizontals
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10. Q16: What should be the respective roles of
government agencies, industry bodies and users in
the regulation of content?
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11. Q24: Access to what content, if any, should be
entirely prohibited online?
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12. Q25: Does the current scope of the Refused
Classification (RC) category reflect the content that
should be prohibited online?
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13. Addressing user-created media
content
• Proposal 5–1 A new National Classification
Scheme should be enacted regulating the
classification of media content.
• Proposal 5–2 The National Classification
Scheme should be based on a new Classification
of Media Content Act.
• Proposal 5–4 The Classification of Media
Content Act should contain a definition of ‘media
content’ and ‘media content provider’. The
definitions should be platform-neutral and apply to
online and offline content and to television
content.
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14. Addressing user-created media
content
• Proposal 6–1 The Classification of Media Content Act should
provide that feature-length films and television programs produced
on a commercial basis must be classified before they are sold,
hired, screened or distributed in Australia. The Act should provide
examples of this content. Some content will be exempt: see
Proposal6–3.
• Proposal 6–3 The Classification of Media Content Act should
provide a definition of ‘exempt content’ that captures all media
content that is exempt from the laws relating to what must be
classified (Proposals 6–1 and 6–2). The definition of exempt content
should capture the traditional exemptions, such as for news and
current affairs programs. The definition should also provide that
films and computer games shown at film festivals, art galleries and
other cultural institutions are exempt. This content should not be
exempt from the proposed law that provides that all content likely to
be R 18+ must be restricted to adults: see Proposal 8–1.
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