Australian Government Consults On Media Reform Plans

by Mary Swire, for LawAndTax-News.com, Hong Kong

21 March 2006

Australia's Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan, has released a discussion paper on reform options for Australia's media industry.

“Traditional media services are being challenged by new digital technologies and this is resulting in the emergence of new players, new content, new services and new platforms,” she explained, continuing:

“For the consumer, this means an ever-increasing number of new sources of information and entertainment. For the media sector, while this evolution poses challenges as audiences are attracted away from traditional media sources, it also presents significant opportunities to embrace new ways of doing business."

“For the Government, the impact of digital technologies means the current regulatory settings, which are largely designed for an analogue world, risk becoming outdated."

“In the end any media reforms must be about providing a richer and more diverse media environment for Australian consumers and that is why their views are important. So today I am releasing a discussion paper outlining options for a strategic framework for proposed reforms to the media industry in Australia.

The Government is seeking comment on options outlined in the paper, which cover areas such as the expedition of digital conversion, media ownership and control, and the impact on broadcasters of an analogue switchover, by 18 April 2006.

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