Monitoring of licences
The ACMA monitors compliance by a community broadcasting licensee for the duration of the licence through progress reporting, audio-visual monitoring, station visits and meetings. This is to ensure the licensee is operating in accordance with the licence conditions and code of practice.
The ACMA may take measures after renewing a licence, or after an investigation where a breach finding is made, to ensure compliance with the relevant code or licence condition. In these cases, licensees are required to provide regular reports to the ACMA to demonstrate that it is meeting its obligations. These reports are assessed to determine whether the licensee is complying, or further action is warranted. Enforcement actions taken at licence renewal and as a result of breach investigations are available on the ACMA website.
Reviews
The ACMA also plays a review and guidance role in community broadcasting. The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA), which represents the community broadcasting sector, and the Australian Community Television Alliance (ACTA), which represents the community television broadcasting sector, are required to develop codes of practice. in consultation with the ACMA. The requirement for codes of practice and reviews are set out at Part 9 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, and are reviewed every three to five years. The codes of practice for community radio were reviewed in 2007-2008 and included by the ACMA in the Register of Codes of Practice in October 2008.
