We are seeking your feedback on recommendations to improve the standards that are used to guide classification decisions about films, computer games and certain publications.
Why we want your input
The purpose of the National Classification Scheme (Scheme) is to help Australians make informed choices about what they and those in their care read, hear, watch and play, and to protect the community from unwanted exposure to material they may find offensive. Your views will contribute to the development of reforms to modernise Australia’s classification arrangements.How you can voice your opinion
We are looking for feedback on the recommendations to improve the classification framework made by the Social Research Centre and Mettlesome in the linked report. You can make a submission with your views by Monday, 4 May at 11:55pm AEST.What will be the outcome of this consultation?
The Australian Government is working with state and territory governments to ensure the classification framework is fit for purpose now and into the future. Your submission will help inform how films, computer games and certain publications are classified in Australia.The issue
The Scheme was established in 1995 under cooperative arrangements between the Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments. Under the Scheme, content (including films and episodic television series not broadcast on television, computer games, and certain publications) is classified by the Classification Board or through ministerially approved classification tools or accredited classifiers. Classification decisions are made in accordance with the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995 (the Act) the National Classification Code 2005 (the Code) and separate Guidelines for the Classification of Publications 2005, Guidelines for the Classification of Films 2012, and Guidelines for the Classification of Computer Games 2023 (the classification guidelines).
Successive reviews have found that the Scheme has not kept pace with the way Australians access media content, particularly the rapid growth in digital and online content and the emergence of new content sharing platforms and interactive features, or with evolving community standards.
The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts (the department) procured the Social Research Centre and Mettlesome (the supplier) to consider areas of community concern, harms literature and recommendations from prior reviews of the Scheme and propose updates to the classification guidelines. Their approach and recommendations are summarised in the report at the link below.
Relevant documentation
- Update to Modernise and Harmonise the Classification Guidelines 2025 - including easy read Version
Participate
23 Mar 2026 15:00 AEDT
04 May 2026 23:59 AEST
Open
days
remaining 42 of 42
We invite you to tell us your views on this topic.
Please include:
- contact name
- organisation name, if applicable
- contact details, including telephone number, postal and email addresses
- confirmation whether or not your submission can be made public—published—or kept confidential.
All submissions to be made public need to meet the Digital Service Standard for accessibility. Any submission that does not meet this standard may be modified before being made public.
If your submission is to be made public, please ensure you do not include any personal information that you don't want to be published.
If your submission is confidential, please ensure each page of the submission is marked as confidential.
Please click on the 'Have your say now' button below to upload your submission.
Alternatively please email your completed template submission to reform@classification.gov.au.
Privacy Collection Notice
Modernising and Harmonising Classification Standards
Your submission, including any personal information supplied, is being collected by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts (“the Department”) in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988.
Use
The Department may use your submission to inform consideration of issues associated with the classification guidelines and the second stage of reform to the National Classification Scheme.
Disclosure
The Department may disclose your submission to:
- the Social Research Centre and Mettlesome, suppliers contracted by the Department to analyse the submissions to this public consultation; and
- state and territory government officials with responsibility for classification.
The Department may publish your submission as explained below. Otherwise your submission will not be disclosed unless authorised or required by law.
Contacting You
You are not required to provide your contact name and contact details when providing your submission. However, if you choose to do so, the department may use your personal information to contact you about your submission and the consultation process.
Publication
Unless marked confidential (see below) submissions (including the author’s name) may be published in part or in full on the Department’s website or in any public response by the Department. When publishing, the Department will redact any personal contact details of the author.
Confidentiality
Confidential submissions will not be published and will only be disclosed in the following circumstances:
- in response to a request by a Commonwealth Minister;
- where required by a House or a Committee of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia;
- where necessary in the public interest; or
- where authorised or required by law.
Submissions will only be treated as confidential if they are expressly stated to be confidential. Automatically generated confidentiality statements or disclaimers appended to an email do not suffice for this purpose. If you wish you make a confidential submission, you must indicate this by ensuring your submission is clearly marked confidential. Even if a submission is not marked confidential, the Department may choose not to publish it, or any part of it, in the Department’s discretion (for example where it includes personal information or opinions about a third party).
Access
The Department will securely store your personal information and the Department’s privacy policy contains information regarding complaint handling processes and how to access and/or seek correction of personal information held by the Department. Further information is available on our Privacy page.