Free TV Australia is calling for public feedback on a revised set of rules concerning what can and can’t be shown on commercial television.
Commercial free-to-air television is regulated under the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice (the Code). The Code is developed in consultation with the public, and is registered by the regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (the ACMA).
ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin said that public consultation is a critical part of the code review process.
“Consultation allows viewers and the broader community to raise concerns they may have about the current rules and let broadcasters know about the standards they expect when watching free-to-air television,” she said.
“The ACMA has been encouraging Free TV to review and update its code, which was last fully reviewed in 2015, to better respond to the changing media landscape and address contemporary audience expectations.”
As part of the review process, ACMA has shared with Free TV its views on a range of issues based on its regulatory and research activities.
O’Loughlin said the regulator is pleased to see that some of these have been addressed through revisions to the draft code.
“We also reiterate our calls for television broadcasters to voluntarily extend these code provisions to all television-like content available on their on-demand streaming services," she said.
"This would ensure viewers can benefit from the same safeguards regardless of how they are watching content offered by Australian television broadcasters.
“Under current co-regulatory arrangements, broadcasters have an important responsibility to develop codes that provide appropriate content safeguards for their audiences. We encourage interested individuals and organisations to make a submission to this process.”
Codes of practice are drafted by the broadcasting industry but can only be registered if the ACMA is satisfied they provide appropriate community safeguards. Public submissions made to the consultation will be reviewed by the ACMA and may help inform its considerations for registration.
The consultation is open for six weeks until November 11 2024.
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