Code governance
The systems and processes in place to oversee the code and strengthen accountability.
GOVERNANCE OF THE CODE
The governance of The Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and Misinformation includes independent oversight and a facility for the public to report breaches by signatories of their code commitments.
The governance of the code encompasses four elements:
01. Complaints Sub-committee
- The Complaints Sub-Committee is independent and resolves complaints about possible breaches by signatories of their commitments under the code.
- DIGI acts as secretary on this committee, but has no vote on decisions in order to avoid conflicts of interest.
- The committee meets at regular intervals to hear complaints of material code breaches that cannot be resolved by signatories and complainants.
- Read more about the Complaints Sub-committee’s Terms of Reference here.
02. Independent review of transparency reports
- An independent expert fact checks all signatories’ transparency reports and provides an attestation of them, in order to incentivise best practice and compliance.
- The reviewer provides advice to the Administration Sub-committee if it cannot provide an attestation of claims in a transparency report.
- This reviewer also makes recommendations to signatories about best practice reporting.
03. Administration Sub-committee
- The Administration Sub-Committee brings together the independent representatives with signatories of the code.
- This committee monitors the various actions taken by signatories to meet their obligations under the Code.
- For example, it reviews the operation of the complaints facility, and the independent review of transparency reports.
- This committee also reviews DIGI’s annual report on the code.
04. Signatory Steering Group
- As any digital company can adopt the code, not just DIGI’s members, this group enables companies that are not members of DIGI to have an equal say in decisions that are made about the code, if they choose.
- This group serves to separate DIGI’s advocacy work on behalf of its members from the code governance functions.
ANNUAL REPORTS
MAY 2025
Annual Report 2025
This annual report covers the period since the last report and provides an overview of developments since May 2024. It details governance arrangements, the independent assessor’s report, complaints under the code and key insights from signatory transparency reports.
MAY 2024
Annual Report 2024
This annual report covers the period since the last report and provides an overview of developments since May 2023. It details governance arrangements, the independent assessor’s report, complaints under the code and key insights from signatory transparency reports.
MAY 2023
Annual Report 2023
This annual report covers the period since the last report and provides an overview of developments since May 2022. It details governance arrangements, the independent assessor’s report, complaints under the code and key insights from signatory transparency reports.
JUNE 2022
Annual Report 2022
This inaugural annual report covers the period since the code was launched in February 2021. It details governance arrangements, the independent assessor’s report, complaints under the code and key insights from signatory transparency reports.
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEES
Dr Anne Kruger
Dr Anne Kruger leads academic and industry collaborative projects aimed at strengthening information integrity. Anne spent nearly four years with global online verification experts First Draft News.
Anne was co-chief investigator and Interim Director at the University of Technology Sydney’s Centre for Media Transition which worked with DIGI on the development of Australia’s first disinformation and misinformation regulatory code of practice.
A recipient of the UNESCO International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) grant, in 2022 she co-authored a verification and responsible reporting guidebook for practitioners in Southeast Asia.
Anne was an anchor at CNN Hong Kong during SARS, and later a finance reporter at Bloomberg TV. She established an OSINT verification lab at the University of Hong Kong collaborating with technologists Meedan, taught news literacy at HKU and led media literacy projects with UNESCO throughout APAC. She previously held senior editorial, presenter and online positions with ABC Australia and began her career in regional news with Channel Nine’s WIN TV. Anne has a PhD in social media verification education.
Victoria Rubensohn AM
Victoria Rubensohn AM sits on the Complaints Sub-Committee and the Administration Sub-committee. She has extensive experience in media and communications regulation in Australia and overseas, and with codes of practice in broadcasting, telecommunications, content classification and advertising.
Victoria is currently Consumer Director of Communications Compliance Ltd and Principal of Omni Media. From 2011 to late 2020, Victoria was an Independent Reviewer for Ad Standards Australia; From 2015 to 2019, she was a Consumer Member of the Code Authority of ADMA; and from 2009 to 2015, she was Convenor of the Classification Review Board.
Victoria has chaired federal government policy review committees on copyright convergence and digital radio. From 1994 to 2009, Victoria chaired the Telephone Information Services Standards Council regulating value-added telecommunications services.
She is a Director of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), the Centre for Inclusive Design, chair of the Communications Law Centre Ltd and is an Advisory Board Member of the Centre For Media Transition at UTS.
She also serves on the advisory committee of the International Institute of Communications Australian Chapter, and was formerly President of the Communications and Media Law Association and Chair of the National Film and Sound Archive.
Christopher Zinn
Christopher Zinn sits on the Complaints Sub-Committee and the Administration Sub-committee. He has led various successful and disruptive campaigns to help consumers make better decisions in complex markets such as energy, private health insurance and financial services.
Christopher heads the www.determinedconsumer.com initiative, is the CEO of the Private Health Insurance Intermediaries Association, sits on the statutory authority reforming the funeral industry, and is on a self-regulatory code committee for the charitable sector. He was also director of communications and campaigns for consumer group CHOICE and has been a reporter and producer for TV, radio and newspapers both in Australia and overseas including the ABC, the Daily Telegraph, Channel Nine, and the UK Guardian.
Shaun Davies
Shaun Davies is an accomplished digital leader with 20 years of experience spanning content moderation, artificial intelligence, policy, communications, and newsroom leadership. His expertise includes managing global quality and safety for Microsoft Start’s content feed, where he set policy and directed cross-functional teams to implement AI systems for moderation.
Shaun is also concluding a Master of Research at the University of Technology Sydney, focusing on the role of journalists in at-scale content moderation for mis- and disinformation. His career reflects a unique combination of practical experience and academic insight into the challenges of the digital age.
MORE INFO
Lodge a complaint
To lodge a complaint under the code, please use the complaint form here. DIGI only accepts complaints from the Australian public where they believe a signatory has materially breached the code’s commitments. DIGI cannot accept complaints about individual items of content on signatories’ products or services, and ask that these be directed to the signatory via their reporting mechanisms or otherwise.
Get in touch
The code is open to any company in the digital industry as a blueprint for best practice for how to combat mis and disinformation online. If you are interested in adopting the code, please contact us at hello@digi.org.au.
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