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National Transmission Network Sale (Consequential Amendments) Bill 1997
Date Introduced: 30 October 1997
House: House of Representatives
Portfolio: Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts
Commencement: Royal Assent
To make a small number of amendments to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983, the Radiocommunications Act 1992, and the Special Broadcasting Service Act 1991 consequent upon the sale of the national transmission network.
The reader is referred to the background to the Bills Digest prepared for the National Transmission Network Sale Bill 1997.
Item 5 of Schedule 1 provides the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) with the following additional powers:
Item 6 repeals the technical services provisions of the Act.These provisions are out of date.
Item 7 provides a mechanism by which the Minister can direct the Australian Broadcasting Authority to conduct an investigation into the possible degradation of the quality of signal reception of a national broadcasting service.The Minister may give that direction where a person has complained about signal degradation and that complaint has not been adequately responded to within 60 days.
Item 8 adds an item to the list of matters which must be included in the ABC's annual report.The annual report will need to include any significant changes during the year in the transmission coverage, or transmission quality of national broadcasting services provided by the ABC.
At present, the Commonwealth, in its capacity as provider of transmission services, holds the national broadcasting service (NBS) licence under section 100 of the Radiocommunications Act to operate transmitters for the purpose of providing national broadcasting services.Following the sale of the national transmission network, the national broadcasters, rather than the network owners, will hold the licences under section 100.
Item 10 amends section 100 to provide that an NBS licence may only be held by the ABC, SBS or the Commonwealth.
Item 13 provides that an NBS licence cannot be transferred to any person other than the ABC, SBS or the Commonwealth.
Special Broadcasting Service Act 1991
Item 19 empowers the Minister to direct an investigation by the ABA of an alleged degradation of the quality of signal reception of a national broadcasting service in the same circumstances as under the Australian Broadcasting Act 1983 (Item 7 above).
Item 22 adds an item to the list of matters which must be included in the ABC's annual report.The annual report will need to include any significant changes during the year in the transmission coverage, or transmission quality of national broadcasting services provided by the SBS.
Lee Jones
18 November 1997
Bills Digest Service
Information and Research Services
This paper has been prepared for general distribution to Senators and Members of the Australian Parliament. While great care is taken to ensure that the paper is accurate and balanced, the paper is written using information publicly available at the time of production. The views expressed are those of the author and should not be attributed to the Information and Research Services (IRS). Advice on legislation or legal policy issues contained in this paper is provided for use in parliamentary debate and for related parliamentary purposes. This paper is not professional legal opinion. Readers are reminded that the paper is not an official parliamentary or Australian government document.
ISSN 1328-8091
© Commonwealth of Australia 1997
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Published by the Department of the Parliamentary Library, 1997.
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Last updated: 18 November 1997