What's New March 19, 2014

The ACMA can now decide when to investigate

Yesterday the government made changes to the 1992 Broadcasting Services Act, one part of which said the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) must investigate any complaint it received about TV or radio through the proper process.

The ACMA can now determine which complaints it will look into and will develop a new code of practice to cover this.

A spokeswoman told Mumbrella: “This amendment will allow the ACMA to take no action on complaints that are, for example, misconceived, trivial, stale or inappropriately divert the ACMA’s resources and the resources of broadcasters. It is expected to allow a more efficient and effective use of resources on investigations – this is a key benefit.”