From deregulation to regulation: a change for the better for regional radio?

In 1992, the then Keating Labor government introduced sweeping changes to the Broadcast Services Act 1942 (BSA) by deregulating the radio industry. In 2006, the Howard Liberal government made further changes to media ownership and local content. These changes were to promote diversity and competition in the regional radio industry; however, the result of these changes was a perceived loss of localism, concentrated ownership, a lack of diversity and an increase in networking. A key part of the 2006 amendments to the BSA was the introduction of the local content licence conditions that would only apply to regional radio. During the research process, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) published the results of an audit on regional radio operators after a breach of these conditions by the Super Radio Network (SRN). Apart from the SRN, other licensees were found to have breached a specific piece of these conditions relating to material of local significance that, in itself, is quite broad. This paper looks at how the development of networking in regional Australia led to such prescriptive conditions, the effect these conditions are having on regional radio, and what the findings of ACMA’s audit means for holders of regional radio licences.