This course will give students an overview of the operation of new media and communications services under Australian law, examining both the legal requirements and the policy reasoning behind the way in which media and communications are regulated. It will cover five broad areas: how laws are made, changed, interpreted and enforced; electronic commerce and what it means for business, consumers and the community; the laws governing licensing, ownership and control of telecommunications, radiocommunications and broadcasting enterprises, and whether these laws are appropriate and effective to deal with new technologies and services; restrictions on media and online content, including classification and censorship, and regulation of content; and protecting intellectual property and reputation, covering copyright, trademarks and defamation