A Bill for an Act to amend the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 to require commercial TV licence holders to provide locally produced and locally relevant news and current affairs, and for related purposes

Preamble
Recognising that Australian content minimum standards have already been introduced for local television news in regional areas.

Acknowledging that there is now a need to safeguard minimum standards for local television news for the residents of Adelaide, Brisbane, and Perth.

Concerned that commercial television in Australia has significantly reduced its local production and service levels, increasingly relying on relaying irrelevant news and weather services into other service areas.

This Act sets further licence conditions which will ensure licensees comply with the requirements of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, for broadcasting which is responsible to audience and use needs and which guarantees appropriate coverage of matters of local significance.

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1 Short title

This Act may be cited as the Broadcasting Services (Safeguarding Local Content and Local Audience Needs) Amendment Act 2003.

2 Commencement

This Act commences on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.

3 Object

The object of this Act is to provide additional licence conditions for commercial television broadcasting licensees in metropolitan areas to guarantee:

(a) responsiveness to audience needs; and

(b) appropriate coverage of matters of local significance, including news, weather and current affairs.

4 Schedule(s)

Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendment of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992

1 After paragraph 7(2)(a) of Schedule 2

Insert:

(aa) the metropolitan commercial television broadcasting licensee must:

(i) produce its own daily evening news service; and

(ii) produce the daily evening news service at the licensee’s premises within its broadcast area; and

(iii) provide a daily evening news service of at least 30 minutes duration;

(ab) the metropolitan commercial television broadcasting licensee must:

(i) produce seven hours per week of studio or location based production, not including news and current affairs, produced by the licensee at the licensee’s premises within its broadcast area; and

(ii) by 2010, increase to 14 hours per week, studio or location based production, not including news and current affairs, produced by the licensee at the licensee’s premises within its broadcast area;

(ac) where the metropolitan commercial television broadcasting licensee broadcasts significant community-based events relevant only to the broadcast area, for example, the local Anzac Day parade or local Christmas carols, such events will attract a loading of hours so that broadcasting one hour of a significant community event will constitute two hours of broadcasting;

Note: For the purposes of paragraph (ac), one hour of a significant community event will equal two hours for the purposes of satisfying paragraph (ab).

(ad) where the metropolitan commercial television broadcasting licensee broadcasts material in accordance with paragraphs (aa), (ab) and (ac), that material must be broadcast as follows:

(i) not less than 2 hours of material between 6.00 pm and 10.30 pm;

(ii) not less than 5 hours of material between 9.00 am and 6.00 pm;

(ii) by 2010, increase to not less than 4 hours of material between 6.00 pm and 10.30 pm;

(iv) by 2010, increase to not less than 10 hours of material between 9.00 am and 6.00 pm;

(ae) for the purposes of paragraphs (aa) and (ab), produce means all aspects of production from planning and development to delivery of the finished product;

(af) for the purposes of paragraphs (ab) and (ac), hour includes non-program content;

(ag) for the purposes of paragraphs (aa), (ab), (ac) and (ad), the definition of a metropolitan commercial television broadcasting licensee as defined in section 121B of this Act applies.

 

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