The role of the ACMA includes provision of information and advice to the community about communications matters and administration of a range of consumer protection measures. To achieve this the ACMA undertakes a range of community awareness programs, including collaborating with other agencies to raise consumer awareness of products and services available to them.
The ACMA activities that support or promote media literacy extend to broadcasting, the internet, radiocommunications and telecommunication. They include:
- consumer and community advice across the areas of broadcasting, the internet, telecommunications, and radiofrequency spectrum;
- registration of broadcasting codes of practice that provide for classification systems and consumer advice for television content;
- the administration of a national regulatory scheme for online content, including internet and mobile phone content;
- delivery of the ACMA’s Cybersmart program, including the Cybersmart website and information on social networking safety;
- notification of prohibited content to the providers of software filters;
- promotion of co-regulatory initiatives that require community awareness: e.g. the Do Not Call Register and a code of practice for ISPs that requires them to provide each subscriber with one of the filters listed in the code (upon the request of subscribers);
- information about spam;
- information about electromagnetic radiation (EMR) and safety;
- information on digital broadcasting and transition from analog to digital television; and
- information about internet security and safety, including spam and social networking safety.
