This week’s research focus on media regulation and analysing
the policies that dictate it was one that I found particularly interesting in
that I have viewed Australia’s classification guidelines as out of touch with
the contemporary media landscape for quite some time. Technological convergence
has radically changed the way in which media is consumed and Flew’s (2012)
recommendation of platform-neutral regulation is one that made a lot of sense
to me. Furthermore, the suggestion of a clear scope for what must be
classified, especially in reference to online media outlets that prolifically
host user-generated content such as YouTube, is the first one I’ve come across
that seems genuinely applicable to the unique issues presented by the online
environment.
Another area of policy change that I took interest in during
this week’s research was the planned changes to Australia’s Foreign Actor Certification Scheme and the discussion of the Save Spaces for Aussie Faces (2011) website’s response in our
tutorial. Although the group’s protests initially seemed reasonable, after
examining their flyer outlining the proposed changes I came to the conclusion
that the Australian television and film industries have taken a harsh
protectionist stance in the past and that these changes are long overdue. It is
my belief that opening Australian entertainment industries to increased foreign
investment and participation can only lead to further growth and that opposition
to this from inside the industry is counterintuitive to their supposed cause;
creating jobs for talented Australians.
References:
Flew, T 2012, ‘Media classification: content regulation in
an age of convergent media’, Media
International Australia incorporating Culture and Policy, vol. 143, pp5-15
Save Spaces for Aussie
Faces 2011, accessed 26/3/2013. http://aussiefaces.org.au/
Office for the Arts,
accessed 26/3/2013. http://arts.gov.au/
