Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

BROADCASTING SERVICES ACT 1992 - SECT 3

  (1)   The objects of this Act are:

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

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

  (b)   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

  (ba)   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

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

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

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

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

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

  (g)   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

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

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

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

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

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

  (j)   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

  (ja)   to ensure that international broadcasting services are not provided contrary to Australia's national interest; and

  (n)   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.

  (2)   In this section:

"broadcasting video on demand services" has the same meaning as in Part   9E.

"gambling promotional content" has the same meaning as in Schedule   8.

"online content service" has the same meaning as in Schedule   8.

"online content service provider" has the same meaning as in Schedule   8.