Anti–terrorism standards (narrowcast television)

Anti-terrorism Standards for open and subscription narrowcast television services

The ACMA makes various standards under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 including standards that apply to open and subscription narrowcasting television licensees.

In March 2006, the ACMA first determined the anti-terrorism standards for narrowcasting licensees to address the significant community concern about the broadcast of programs that directly attempt to recruit people or solicit funds for terrorist organisations. The ACMA amended the standards in 2008 and in 2011 by revoking and replacing them with new standards in order to assist open and subscription narrowcasting television licensees understand the key object of ensuring that prohibited terrorism related content and programming is not broadcast.

About the 2011 standards

The standards commenced on 1 July 2011 and state that:

• Open and subscription narrowcast television services must not broadcast a program that:
  • would be reasonably understood as directly recruiting a person to join, or participate in the activities of, a listed terrorist; or
  • would be reasonably understood as soliciting funds for a listed terrorist; or assisting in the collection or provision of funds for a listed terrorist; or
  • advocates the doing of a terrorist act.

The definition of ‘listed terrorist’ in the standards is:

• The list of terrorist organisations determined under the Criminal Code Regulations 2002 is available from the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments at www.comlaw.gov.au.
• Information about proscribed persons and entities designated as such by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, pursuant to section 15 of the Charter of the United Nations Act 1945, is available from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website at www.dfat.gov.au.
• The standards place the obligation on narrowcast television services to ensure that prohibited programs will not be broadcast.

2011 Standards – currently effective

• The Broadcasting Services (Anti-terrorism Requirements for Open Narrowcasting Television Services) Standard 2011
• The Broadcasting Services (Anti-terrorism Requirements for Subscription Television Narrowcasting Services) Standard 2011
• The 2011 Guidelines for the anti-terrorism standards (142 kb)

2008 Standards - historical

• The Broadcasting Services (Anti-terrorism Requirements for Open Narrowcasting Television Services) Standard 2008
• The Broadcasting Services (Anti-terrorism Requirements for Subscription Television Narrowcasting Services) Standard 2008
• The 2008 Guidelines for the anti-terrorism standards (76 kb)

2006 Standards - historial

• The Broadcasting Services (Anti-terrorism Requirements for Open Narrowcasting Television Services) Standard 2006
• The Broadcasting Services (Anti-terrorism Requirements for Subscription Television Narrowcasting Services) Standard 2006

Relevant Investigations and Research Reports

• Al-Manar TV programming investigation 2010 (#2413)
• Al-Manar TV Investigation 2009 (#2158)
• Global Tamil Vision GTV (formerly known as Tharisanam TV) investigation 2008 (#2233)
• Further information on the ACMA’s narrowcast TV investigations is available.