The commercial free-to-air networks and Foxtel are major beneficiaries of the Federal Government's package of measures to help sustain Australian media businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most independent production companies and thousands of freelancers in the screen industry face financial hardship as they don't qualify for the Federal Government's $1,500 a fortnight JobKeeper wage subsidy.
The ABC is worried that the government's classification review could result in a new nationwide system that impinges on its independence and would encompass content screened on ABC iview.
The Classification Review Board would be abolished and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) would oversee the classification of commercially-provided content across all platforms if the federal government accepts the ACMA's submission to the classification review.
After several years of screen industry inquiries which went nowhere, the options paper being prepared by Screen Australia and ACMA should set out clear parameters for a regulatory model that safeguards Australian content.
The government's review of local content quotas should result in a funding and regulatory framework that protects Australian stories, voices and jobs, according to Fremantle CEO Chris Oliver-Taylor.
The options paper being drafted by Screen Australia and the Australian Communications and Media Authority should set out funding mechanisms to support film and TV content, particularly for the most vulnerable sector, children's programming, while extending the kids quota to public broadcasters.
The Federal Government has committed to a staged process of media regulation reform, ultimately culminating in what it hopes will be "platform-neutral regulatory framework covering both online and offline delivery of media content."