Convergence Review

Governments all over the world are grappling with the issues raised by convergence between previously separate industries. The traditional barriers between industry sectors such as film, music, publishing, broadcast television and radio, telecommunications, computing, and services industries such as education and health are being eroded or restructured, and new industry boundaries are emerging.

In order to examine the implications of convergence for government policy, in June 1999 the Government announced it would be conducting a high-level strategic review that would be a comprehensive and authoritative analysis of the issues related to the convergence of technologies and markets in the telecommunications, information technology, broadcasting and media industries, and the wider economy, over the next five to ten years.

In late 1999 a comprehensive Issues Paper was released for public discussion, and submissions were called for and received from a variety of interested parties. The closing date for submissions was 20 December 1999. All these documents are available for browsing or download below.

The review was led by David Kennedy, who is also the General Manager of Strategy and Policy in NOIE.

The full Report of the Convergence Review was tabled in Parliament on 10 May 2000. It can be downloaded here.

  Terms of reference

• The Convergence Review is intended to provide an authoritative and comprehensive analysis of the issues related to the convergence of technologies and markets in the telecommunications, information technology, broadcasting and media industries, and the wider economy, over the next five to ten years.

• The Review will address Section 59 of Schedule 4 of the Broadcasting Service Act 1992, which states that:

(1) Before 1 January 2000, the Minister must cause to be conducted a review of the following matters:

(a) whether any amendments of laws of the Commonwealth should be made in order to deal with convergence between broadcasting services and other services;

• Under the Act, the Minister must also cause a report of the review to be prepared.

• The report of the Review will provide useful input for Government policy development over the medium term, particularly in the regulation of the communications and related industries which are a key enabler of technological change across the economy.

• The Review will provide:

• an analysis of the impact of convergence on international industry and policy developments, placing the Australian economy in a wider international context;
• an analysis of the issues raised by convergence for existing Australian regulatory and policy approaches; and
• options for alternative approaches to address convergence.

Scope of the Review

The Review is to report on:

1) The scope and significance of convergence in the Australia economy, including:

a) trends in the international industry environment and in associated demand markets, and their implications for Australia;
b) the enablers and drivers of convergence;
c) the timeframes for convergence and associated structural changes; and
d) possible industry and consumer scenarios in Australia over a five to ten year timeframe.

2) International policies and developments designed to address convergence, including:

a) Legislative, institutional and regulatory changes;
b) direct interventions such as funded programs;
c) other policies designed to respond to convergence; and

3) The implications of convergence for the achievement of Government policy objectives, including:

a) an analysis of options for the achievement of long-term policy objectives in a convergence environment; and
b) transitional strategies for policy and preferred timeframes for any proposed changes, including regulatory policy and institutional responses. 

Publications, speeches, media releases

	Convergence Review - Final Report (PDF) - Tabled in Parliament on 10 May 2000.  - PDF (597kb) - Word (1375kb) - 10/05/00
	Convergence Review Issues Paper (HTML) - paper - PDF (270kb) - Word  (694kb)  - 10/05/00
	The Age Vision 21  (HTML) - speech by SENATOR THE HON RICHARD ALSTON Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts - 28 March 2000

Submissions:

	ABC - save to disk - (45k DOC)
	AFC - save to disk - (115k DOC)
	Attorney Generals Department - save to disk - (17k DOC)
	Attorney Generals Department (Information Law Branch) - save to disk - (23k DOC)
	AIIA - save to disk - (51k DOC)
	Australian Caption Centre - save to disk - (83k DOC)
	Australia Consumers' Association - save to disk - (67k DOC)
	FARB - save to disk - (35k DOC)
	News Ltd - save to disk - (26k DOC)
	Nortel - save to disk - (51k DOC)
	SPAA - save to disk - (4400k DOC)
	Telstra - save to disk - (279k DOC)

 Contact details:

Mr David Kennedy
General Manager, Strategy and Policy 
National Office for the Information Economy
Ph. [+61] 03 9268 7905
Fax: [+61] 03 9268 7904

 Related links

NOIE
NOIE Ecommerce projects home page
AIEAC home page