• Stuart Cunningham
• The ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation

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15 June 2011The eight principles and four policy considerations outlined in the Framing Paper condense and consolidate the eighteen objects of the Broadcasting Services Act (1992) and the fourteen objects of the Telecommunications Act (1997). This simplification is welcome and appropriate for a policy framework intended for a converging media environment. The principles outlined in the Framing Paper represent a mix of cultural, social and economic policy objectives, and reflect longstanding objectives of broadcasting, telecommunications and cultural policy. The Framing Paper invites input on the fundamental principles that will underpin a new policy framework, and calls for ‘bigpicture thinking’ about the Australian media and communications environment in its global context and how it may need to be shaped in order to achieve principles that serve the public interest. This point, that the public interest is paramount, is critical; regulatory and non-regulatory measures established as part of any new policy framework must be devised and operate in service of the public interest.

The Framing Paper notes (p.12) that the committee is not at this stage seeking views on the application or implementation of the principles, but rather is seeking feedback on the aims and intents of the principles. This is all well and good, but in practice it is difficult to consider the objectives without also considering some of the ways in which those objectives might be realised or challenged. At the same time it is important to note here that whatever policy options are developed to implement these principles, they should be evidence and research based, rather than determined by the weight or intensity of lobbying from particular vested interests.

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