By Jenna Price
Copyright brisbanetimes
What to do when something is so reprehensible you desperately want to do something? Sigh. In Australia, there’s not much. First make a complaint to the broadcaster itself. Not happy? Make a complaint to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). No teeth, guts, gumption. ACMA tells me it has received no complaints – but then, who’s watching this rubbish?
There will be no effective punishment, no effective follow-up to this behaviour. Maybe a tiny slap on the wrist. For your delectation, may I present Kyle Sandilands, enthusiast of broadcast vulgarity? Breaches, no consequences.
On Sky, we’ve had Nazis, climate denial, rampant misogyny, violence, the whole damned box and dice, but what do broadcasters like this get as punishment? Sent to a re-education camp which inevitably fails. How do viewers feel about this tosh? Who would know: last year, Australia’s official television measurement body, OzTAM, confirmed Foxtel will no longer be included in its datasets.
There is an appetite for a better regulator and not one channelled through the broadcasters themselves. David Pocock, independent senator for the ACT and good troublemaker, says we need a regulator with the powers it needs to be effective in combating mis- and disinformation.“Numerous deficiencies have been identified with ACMA’s regulatory powers and enforcement across a range of its responsibilities,” he says.
