As the Australian treasurer begins a review of the first year of its digital negotiating code, four of the country’s regulators have teamed up to share knowledge and resources.

They are Australian Competition and Consumer Commission – which developed the code – the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, the broadcasting regulator the Australian Communications and Media Authority and its the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, their forum to be known as DP-REG.

In a report in the Nine-owned Australian Financial Review, federal privacy commissioner Angeline Falk says the commitment to sharing information and working together on the regulation of digital platforms will see “new and novel regulatory approaches” being examined.

As the group looks at how online safety, privacy and data protection intersect, along with competition and consumer protection, the DP-REG forum will be “explicitly targeting the large digital platforms, including internet search engines, digital content aggregators, social media services, private messaging services, media referral services and electronic marketplaces”.

Falk said the collective ability to bring together resources and expertise would be “a real step forward”, moving from bilateral to multilateral arrangements, ensuring a cohesive regulatory response.

Recent parliamentary inquiries have shone light on the disparate nature of the organisations, some of which have reference terms which predate the internet era.

Initially the bimonthly forum will be chaired by by ACMA chief executive Creina Chapman (pictured) with the position rotating every six months.

While no other government administrative or policy-setting organisations are included in the forum, they can be invited to attend as required.