Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has reaffirmed an arcane loophole around the legal definitions of broadcasters and streamers for another five years, setting up a radical overhaul of Australia’s media rules in the new government’s first term.
The loophole, known in the industry as “The Alston Determination”, was named after the former communications minister Richard Alston. In 2000, he issued a direction that TV and radio that were streamed over the internet were not classified as “broadcasters” under the Broadcasting Services Act.
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Mark Di Stefano is Rear Window columnist, based in the Sydney newsroom. He previously worked at BuzzFeed, the Financial Times and The Information before joining the Financial Review as a media and tech correspondent. Connect with Mark on Twitter. Email Mark at mark.distefano@afr.com
