Broadcasting Services Act 1992

The objects of this Act are:

to promote the availability to audiences throughout Australia of a diverse range of radio and television services offering entertainment, education and information; and

to promote the availability to audiences and users throughout Australia of a diverse range of datacasting services; and

to provide a regulatory environment that will facilitate the development of a broadcasting industry in Australia that is efficient, competitive and responsive to audience needs; and

to provide a regulatory environment that will facilitate the development of a datacasting industry in Australia that is efficient, competitive and responsive to audience and user needs; and

to encourage diversity in control of the more influential broadcasting services; and

to promote the role of broadcasting services in developing and reflecting a sense of Australian identity, character and cultural diversity; and

to promote the availability to audiences throughout Australia of television and radio programs about matters of local significance; and

to promote the free availability to audiences throughout Australia of television coverage of events of national importance and cultural significance; and

to ensure the development, production and provision of Australian programs by subscription video on demand services; and

to promote the provision of high quality and innovative programming by providers of broadcasting services; and

to promote the provision of high quality and innovative content by providers of datacasting services; and

to encourage providers of commercial and community broadcasting services to be responsive to the need for a fair and accurate coverage of matters of public interest and for an appropriate coverage of matters of local significance; and

to encourage providers of broadcasting services to respect community standards in the provision of program material; and

to promote access to certain broadcasting services and broadcasting video on demand services that are made available free to Australian audiences and users; and

to ensure online content service providers respect community standards in relation to gambling promotional content; and

to encourage the provision of means for addressing complaints about broadcasting services; and

to provide a means for addressing complaints about gambling promotional content provided on online content services; and

to ensure that providers of broadcasting services place a high priority on the protection of children from exposure to program material which may be harmful to them; and

to ensure that international broadcasting services are not provided contrary to Australia’s national interest; and

to ensure the maintenance and, where possible, the development of diversity, including public, community and indigenous broadcasting, in the Australian broadcasting system in the transition to digital broadcasting.

In this section: