We’ve spent months engaging with communities and meeting with health and children’s organisations to hear how concerned they are with the proposed changes to the Commercial TV Industry Code of Practice.
So, what’s next?
First, let’s recap
September 2024: Industry body Free TV proposed a new code of practice for commercial TV stations. It includes significantly expanding the window that allows alcohol advertising on TV, meaning up to 800 more hours of alcohol ads on our screens – news that was met with strong community opposition late last year.
These extra alcohol ads are on top of the existing sports loophole that exposes children to thousands of alcohol ads per year through broadcasts of games including AFL, NRL and cricket. Former FARE CEO, Caterina Giorgi reminded us, when we let industries set their own rules, communities always lose.
November 2024: The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said they had “drawn Free TV’s attention to the final report of the expert panel appointed by the Australian Government to undertake a rapid review” in family and domestic violence, which recommended restricting alcohol advertising on TV, particularly during televised sporting events.
January 2025: New polling showed 90% of Australians are concerned by the proposal by Free TV. In addition, 82% of Australians expressed concern about alcohol advertising on TV during sporting events.
Why is alcohol advertising on TV such a concern?
Children are regularly being exposed to advertisements that depict alcohol use as fun, social and inexpensive. Around half of all of 2,810 alcohol advertisements in one study appeared during children’s popular viewing times.
Young people’s exposure to alcohol marketing increases the likelihood they will start using alcohol at a younger age and that they will go on to use alcohol at high-risk levels later in life. There is a high level of exposure to alcohol marketing by children, with over 94% of Australian students aged 12 to 17 having seen alcohol advertising on TV.
Alcohol is also a significant contributor to gendered violence in Australia, increasing the frequency and severity of gendered violence.
While Free TV wants to extend the hours that children and young people are exposed to alcohol marketing in their new draft code, the existing rules are already inadequate.
Section 6.2 of the Code provides a loophole where a commercial for alcoholic drinks may be broadcast during a Sports Program on a weekend or a Public Holiday, or a Live Sporting Event broadcast.
Broadcast sports events are associated with increased levels of alcohol-related gendered violence.
Increases in domestic and family violence have been documented in studies on the State of Origin, AFL Grand Final and Melbourne Cup.
Last year, the Prime Minister announced an expert led ‘Rapid Review of Prevention Approaches to End Gender-Based Violence’ which recommended restricting alcohol advertising on TV, particularly during televised sporting events.
What’s next?
Before the Code is adopted, it must pass through the ACMA, whose responsibility it is to ensure the Commercial Code contains adequate community safeguards.
We are calling on ACMA to hear the voices of communities and health and children’s organisations across Australia who are asking to:
- Ensure that any changes to the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice (the Code) do not extend the hours when alcohol advertising on TV is permitted to be broadcast.
- Remove the exemption in Section 6.2 that allows alcohol advertising during sports broadcasts, due to the known increase in family and domestic violence during sporting events.
- Remove the exemption in Section 8 of ‘program sponsorship’ from alcohol advertising, that allows the promotion of alcohol companies during program broadcasts.
Keep up to date with the campaign here: https://fare.org.au/proposed-changes-to-the-commercial-tv-industry-code-of-practice/
