Our policy approach

Our vision and principles

The Australian Government supports an open, free, secure and interoperable Internet, supported by a multistakeholder approach to Internet governance.

Our work to support this vision is driven by four key principles:

  • Protect the Internet's core technical infrastructure as an essential shared global resource.
  • Promote and strengthen multistakeholder Internet governance.
  • Engage and coordinate with the Australian stakeholder community.
  • Promote Asia-Pacific engagement and regional interests in Internet governance.

Find out more about our vision and the core principles that guide us.

The Hon Michelle Rowland MP, Minister for Communications recently shared this vision with attendees at the Australian Internet Governance Forum 2024:

The three layers of the Internet

Broadly speaking, Internet governance can be conceived as operating over three layers of the Internet—the infrastructure layer, the technical layer and the content layer.

Our work on Internet governance primarily focuses on the technical layer of the Internet, including the protocols and services which are necessary for the Internet to function.

We have developed a document which describes the three layers in more detail.

Internet governance landscape

In 2023, the Australian Government commissioned some independent analysis on the Internet governance landscape, with a focus on the connections between the key actors and processes.

The resulting report explores the complex ecosystem which makes up Internet governance. It considers this landscape from within Australia's domestic context, examining how Australian stakeholders contribute to the global Internet governance community.

This report was developed through a series of workshops and interviews with key Internet governance stakeholders from across various sectors, including government, private sector, civil society, and academia. We would like to express our appreciation to all of the stakeholders who provided their perspectives throughout this process.

A key element of this report is the high-level visual overview of the Internet Governance landscape, which maps out the key organisations with a role in Internet governance, their level of influence, and how they interact with each other. This overview was shared with stakeholders at Australia's 2023 Internet Governance Forum (NetThing 2023), and the version below has been updated based on their feedback.