The ACMA is charged with the responsibility of dealing effectively with any breaches of the ownership and control rules established by the Act. See Action by ACMA in response to breaches of control and ownership rules.
Acquisitions of controlling interests in commercial licences, through share transactions, the transfer of licences or in any other ways are not subject to approval by the ACMA. On application The ACMA is required to provide a written binding opinion about whether a person is in a position to exercise control of a licence, a newspaper or a related company. See What are ACMA opinions?.
On application, the ACMA may give prior approval to temporary breaches for specified periods of all of the control and directorship limits outlined. See Prior approval for temporary breach or transaction.
For more detailed information on control requirements in Australia, follow the links below:
- Statutory Control Rules
- Media diversity rules
- Prior approval for temporary breach or transaction
- Conditional transactions
- The associated newspaper register
The ACMA must maintain a register containing much of the information it acquires (including all annual notifications of control by licensees and publishers and notifications of changes to control of licences and publishers) and certain kinds of decisions it makes in monitoring the ownership and control of commercial broadcasting. See Section 75 register.
