Net effect of the recommendations

The net effect of the ALRC’s recommendations in the Report would be the establishment of a new National Classification Scheme that:

• applies consistent rules to content that are sufficiently flexible to be adaptive to technological change;
• places a regulatory focus on restricting access to adult content, helping to promote cyber-safety and protect children from inappropriate content across media platforms;
• retains the Classification Board as an independent classification decision maker with an essential role in setting benchmarks;
• promotes industry co-regulation, encouraging greater industry content classification, with government regulation more directly focused on content of higher community concern;
• provides for pragmatic regulatory oversight, to meet community expectations and safeguard community standards;
• reduces the overall regulatory burden on media content industries while ensuring that content obligations are focused on what Australians most expect to be classified; and
• harmonises classification laws across Australia, for the benefit of consumers and content providers.