Updating the spectrum licence tax

We received one submission to the consultation. You can access this from the bottom of the page. 

After taking into account the matters raised in the submission, we made the Radiocommunications (Spectrum Licence Tax) Amendment Determination 2025 (No. 1) to update the EME component for 2025–26 to $2,134,433.17. This is the change proposed in the consultation paper.

The submission acknowledged the need for the EME program. It did not object to the proposed change in the total annual EME component. 

The submission raised other comments about the transparency of the EME program that were beyond the scope of the amendment determination. We acknowledge the requests made to improve the transparency of the program’s costs and outcomes. 

We have provided this feedback to the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (the entities that deliver the EME program). We will strive to provide transparency around funding allocations and project outcomes in the future.

Spectrum licence tax is applied to spectrum licences on 11 October of each year. There are 2 components to the spectrum licence tax: 

1. Main component.
2. EME component. 

(Find out more about spectrum licence taxes.)

We are proposing to update the total annual EME component of spectrum licence tax from $2,090,532.00 to $2,134,433.17. It will involve amending the Radiocommunications (Spectrum Licence Tax) Determination 2021. This is in line with annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) growth to the June 2025 quarter of 2.1%. 

The consultation paper above outlines the calculation and proposal to amend the SLT determination. It would mean updating the EME component and making no change to the main component.