Comms review set to start soon: Conroy

A committee to advise on regulating new and old media will be finalised within a few days, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has said.

(Credit: Josh Taylor/ZDNet Australia)

The Convergence Committee of independent experts will review Australia's communications and media legislation and advise the government on how best to modernise the law to suit established and emerging media platforms.

Conroy told the Australian Broadcasting Summit in Sydney today that 72 stakeholder submissions had been received since December and that details of the review would be released within days.

The final terms of reference were published online this afternoon.

Conroy said that the final terms of reference were changed as a result of the submissions received from stakeholders, with the most notable change being a conditional look at multiple outcomes as part of the review, not necessarily more regulation.

"A number of submissions, for example, noted that some of the language in the draft Terms of Reference seemed to imply the committee would only consider creating more regulation rather than examining other methods for achieving the best outcomes," he said. "We addressed this issue and made it clear that the committee can investigate all options — including, of course, non-regulatory options — when developing possible solutions to the issues they uncover."

But the opportunities brought by the National Broadband Network needed to be underpinned by a regulatory environment that encouraged new technologies and applications, Conroy added.

"No one can predict where we will be in the next 20 years or even the next five," Conroy said. "History has certainly taught us that regulation needs to keep up with technology.

"It is crucial that the settings are in place to foster competition, encourage diversity, inspire creativity and ensure Australian voices are heard," he said. "That's why we are acting now to make sure that regulation is appropriate to the technological environment."

The committee would consult shareholders and the public to create a policy framework suitable to the high-speed broadband environment, he said.

Its review could include licensing and licence fees, children's and local content obligations, protection of community standards and broadcast classifications, accuracy and impartiality of news reporting, advertising standards, internet content, media ownership and control regulations, and the protection of consumer rights and interests.

In his speech today, Conroy highlighted that technology wasn't simply changing the way people use the media but also enhancing the experience, giving an example as social media playing a role in driving people back to TV.

"Shows like Q&A and Glee are drawing audiences back to scheduled viewing times as they use the internet and mobile devices to communicate with each other and make social interaction part of the television experience," he said.