The full report makes 57 recommendations for a technology-neutral, comprehensive and national regime covering the "convergent media landscape". The recommendations are founded on eight principles -
1) Australians should be able to read, hear, see and participate in media of their choice;Key features of the proposed regime are -
2) communications and media services available to Australians should broadly reflect community standards, while recognising a diversity of views, cultures and ideas in the community;
3) children should be protected from material likely to harm or disturb them;
4) consumers should be provided with information about media content in a timely and clear manner, and with a responsive and effective means of addressing their concerns, including through complaints;
5) the classification regulatory framework needs to be responsive to technological change and adaptive to new technologies, platforms and services;
6) the classification regulatory framework should not impede competition and innovation, and not disadvantage Australian media content and service providers in international markets;
7) classification regulation should be kept to the minimum needed to achieve a clear public purpose; and
8) classification regulation should be focused upon content rather than platform or means of delivery.
• Platform-neutral regulation - one legislative regime establishing obligations to classify or restrict access to content across media platforms.
• Clear scope of what must be classified - that is feature films, television programs and certain computer games that are both made and distributed on a commercial basis and have a significant Australian audience.
• A shift in regulatory focus to restricting access to adult content - imposing new obligations on content providers to take reasonable steps to restrict access to adult content and to promote cyber-safety.
• Co-regulation and industry classification - more industry classification of content and industry development of classification codes, subject to regulatory oversight.
• Classification Board benchmarking and community standards - a clear role for the Classification Board in making independent classification decisions using classification categories and criteria that reflect community standards.
• An Australian Government scheme - replacing the current classification cooperative scheme with enforcement of classification laws under Commonwealth law.
• A single regulator - with primary responsibility for regulating the new scheme.
