We should all be able to switch on the TV to watch our favourite team on the weekend or enjoy family movie night without having to worry about harmful ads.
But right now, the rules about how alcohol ads can be shown on TV are set by the companies that profit from them. That means profit is the priority and the community’s wellbeing is second best.
We have a chance to change that.
Until April 30, the Australian Community and Media Authority (ACMA) wants to hear about your experience of alcohol ads on TV.
Add your voice to the chorus calling for less harmful alcohol ads on commercial free-to-air TV.
Companies that profit from alcohol ads shouldn’t determine how and when they are allowed to be shown on TV. But right now, that’s exactly what happens.
Commercial free-to-air television networks, which operate under the banner of Free TV Australia developed the current code of practice which sets the rules for alcohol advertising on TV.
These rules do not protect our community. Alcohol advertising is shown frequently – including times when children are watching, and this is made worse by a major loophole that allows alcohol ads to be shown at any time of day if it is during a sports broadcast.
Millions of Australians watch free-to-air TV. In 2025, more than half of Australian adults regularly watched live free‑to‑air TV – that’s channels Seven, Nine, Ten and WIN.
Alcohol is a harmful product. Every day, people across Australia are negatively impacted by alcohol, through injury, violence, mental ill-health, chronic disease, family violence and disadvantage.
Research shows that when children are exposed to alcohol marketing, they are more likely to begin drinking at a younger age and drink at harmful levels later in life.
Advertising normalises and glamorises alcohol – especially among young people and when it is deeply embedded in our experiences of sport and players.
ACMA is reviewing the rules around alcohol advertising on free-to-air TV.
They are seeking public submissions until April 30. This is an opportunity to tell ACMA the current rules do not meet community expectations.
If our community stands together to raise our concerns, ACMA can decide the existing rules for alcohol ads on TV aren’t good enough.
They have the power to make a ‘program standard’ – this would mean they take regulation of alcohol ads out of the hands of industry and ensure more independent regulation.
This is a massive opportunity to ensure our wellbeing comes first. Not industry profit.
There are a range of specific improvements ACMA can make to prioritise community wellbeing.
ACMA is reviewing the rules for alcohol ads to determine whether they protect the community from harm.
If they decide the rules are failing to do that, ACMA can create a ‘program standard’.
A program standard would be a mandatory condition of free-to-air TV broadcasting licenses. This means that there are significant consequences for breaching the regulations to deter TV companies from breaking the rules.
The ACMA would be responsible for deciding what regulation of alcohol advertising on free-to-air TV looks like.
For example, the ACMA could decide that alcohol cannot be advertised during sport, given this is a time that children are likely watching and incidents of violence in the home peak.
This is likely to be much stronger than the existing weak Code, which is developed by the industry itself.
There is no right or wrong in submission writing. It does not need to be long or detailed. You just need to make a few key points showing your concern with the existing alcohol advertising rules and your desire for strong rules that protect the community.
We have prepared a template submission to get you started.
The strongest submissions are personal and include specific examples. Consider why you care about this issue and want to see change.
Learn more about what change FARE would like to see.
There are two ways to submit.
Online
If you have any questions, or need support to write or send your submission, reach out to our team at campaigns@fare.org.au
Alcohol ads can feel invasive throughout many aspects of our lives – not just on TV.
Ads for other harmful products like gambling and unhealthy food also cause huge amounts of harm in our community.
That’s why we launched a campaign calling on the Federal Government to create a new law that sets clear rules for how these products can be advertised online and in our public spaces.
Learn more and add your voice.
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