The Australian Government has announced a range of short term and long term measures to assist Australian media businesses in light of COVID-19 and its impact on the sector.
In addition to new industry relief measures, the Government and key regulators such as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) have announced that various media reform initiatives already underway in 2020 will be accelerated, delayed or altered in some way as a result of COVID-19.
This includes changes to certain timeframe commitments previously made by the Government in its response to the ACCC’s Digital Platforms Inquiry Report (DPI Report).
Key changes in the last week include:
- the release of an Options Paper on 15 April 2020 to commence a fast-tracked consultation on harmonising media regulation in Australia to support Australian content and production; and
- the announcement that a mandatory code of conduct to govern the relationship between news media businesses and digital platforms will be developed for consultation by July 2020.
The full alert available here: outlines the key announcements and provides a useful summary table setting out the key media regulatory reform activities currently underway in Australia (including all activities triggered by the DPI Report) along with updated timeframes.
