Have your say: New online safety industry codes for Class 1C and Class 2 material
Dear stakeholder, We are writing to you on behalf of five industry associations that represent the online industry in Australia about consultation on Consolidated Industry Codes of Practice for the Online Industry (Class 1C and Class 2 Material) under the Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth) that opens today.
You are receiving this email because we believe you or your organisation may be interested in or affected by the codes, and we encourage you to provide us with your views through a submission.
Australia’s Online Safety Act 2021, which came into effect in January 2022, requires the development of codes by industry associations to regulate certain types of online material. The second phase of draft industry codes have been designed to: - Protect and prevent children in Australia from accessing or being exposed to class 1C and Class 2 material.
- Provide end-users in Australia with effective information, tools and options to limit access and exposure to class 1C and class 2 material.
We have launched a public consultation process today, inviting feedback on the draft codes that are available on the consultation website at www.onlinesafety.org.au. Feedback is being proactively sought from key stakeholders including consumer organisations, a diverse range of civil society groups, academics and industry. It is a public consultation and as such we encourage you to forward this on to other relevant stakeholders who may wish to contribute.
The draft codes must cover a wide range of participants that operate in the online environment, including providers of social media, messaging, search engine and app distribution services, as well as internet and hosting service providers, and manufacturers and suppliers of any equipment that connects to the internet, including smart devices and computers. It is important to note that they also cover operators of all websites that can be accessed by Australian users.
The draft codes released today have been informed by input from eSafety; including through its July 2024 Position Paper, industry working groups, and expert consultation.
You can download the draft codes and an accompanying discussion paper at www.onlinesafety.org.au. Submissions should be uploaded to that website, and will be accepted until 11:59pm AEDT, November 22, 2024.
We look forward to hearing your views, and can be contacted via hello@onlinesafety.org.au should you have any questions.
Kind regards,
Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA)
Communications Alliance
Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association (CESA)
Digital Industry Group Inc (DIGI)
Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA) |
