Terms of Reference

Inquiry into the effectiveness of the broadcasting codes of practice

Terms of Reference

The Senate has referred the following matter to the Committee for inquiry and report by the 9 June 2008:

An examination into the effectiveness of the broadcasting codes of practice operating within the radio and television industry, with particular reference to:

  1. the frequency and use of coarse and foul language (swearing) in programs;
  2. the effectiveness of the current classification standards as an accurate reflection of the content contained in the program;
  3. the operation and effectiveness of the complaints process currently available to members of the public; and
  4. any other related matters.

On 6 June 2008, the Committee provided a brief formal report to the Senate. The Committee will table its final report in the Senate on 19 June 2008.

The Committee invites written submissions from interested individuals and organisations, preferably in electronic form sent by email, to eca.sen@aph.gov.au. The email must include full postal address and contact details. The closing date for submissions is Friday, 2 May 2008.

Alternatively, submissions may be sent to The Secretary, Senate Standing Committee on Environment, Communications and the Arts, PO Box 6100 Parliament House, CANBERRA ACT 2600, or faxed to 02 6277 5818.

Submissions become committee documents and are made public only after a decision by the Committee. Persons making submissions must not release them without the approval of the Committee. Submissions are covered by parliamentary privilege but the unauthorised release of them is not.

Inquiries from hearing and speech impaired people should be directed to the Parliament House TTY number (02) 6277 7799. Adobe also provides tools for the blind and visually impaired to access PDF documents. These tools are available at: http://access.adobe.com/. If you require any special arrangements in order to enable you to participate in a committee inquiry, please contact the committee secretary.

For further information, contact:

Committee Secretary
Senate Standing Committees on Environment, Communications and the Arts
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Australia

Phone: +61 2 6277 3526
Fax: +61 2 6277 5818
Email: eca.sen@aph.gov.au