Bills Digest No. 23 1999-2000
Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill (No. 2) 1999
WARNING:
This Digest was prepared for debate. It reflects the legislation as introduced
and does not canvass subsequent amendments. This Digest does not have
any official legal status. Other sources should be consulted to determine
the subsequent official status of the Bill.
CONTENTS
Passage History
Purpose
Background
Main Provisions
Endnotes
Contact Officer & Copyright Details
Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill (No. 2) 1999
Date Introduced: 30 June 1999
House: House of Representatives
Portfolio: Communications,
Information Technology and the Arts
Commencement: Royal Assent
To exempt until the end of 2001 commercial broadcasters
from the Australian Broadcasting Authority's (ABA) charges associated
with the conversion of television from analog to digital transmission.
The Bill complements the Television Licence Fees Amendment
Bill 1999. That Bill provides for an additional licence fee for commercial
television broadcasters to recover the ABA's costs with regard to the
conversion of television transmission from analog to digital mode.(1)
This additional licence fee will be paid in 1999, 2000 and 2001.
Clause 61 of Schedule 4 of the Broadcasting Services
Act 1992 enables the ABA to charge the commercial and national broadcasters
for expenses incurred under the digital conversion schemes for both sectors.
The Government has decided that commercial television licensees should
not be required to pay these charges as they will be paying additional
licence fees for the same purpose.
The national broadcasters (the ABC and SBS) will continue
to be charged for expenses incurred by the ABA in respect of the national
conversion scheme because they do not pay licence fees.
Item 1 of Schedule 1 adds a new sub-clause 61(4)
to Schedule 4 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 which prohibits
the ABA from making a determination under paragraph 61(1)(a) in relation
to the commercial television conversion scheme during the period between
the commencement of the legislation and the 31 December 2001.
- Readers should consult Bills Digest No. 22 of 1999-2000 Television
Licence Fees Amendment Bill 1999 for a more detailed background to this
issue.
Kim Jackson
9 August 1999
Bills Digest Service
Information and Research Services
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ISSN 1328-8091
© Commonwealth of Australia 1999
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Published by the Department of the Parliamentary Library, 1999.
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