FED Disclosure Obligations and Civil Penalties for Media Interests

Broadcasting Services Amendment (Register of Media Interests) Bill 2026

Opposition Bill

18 Aug 2026: MPs in the first house are debating whether this bill is a good idea in principle.

Senate

House of Representatives

Assent

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Topics

communications regulation conflict of interest journalism ethics media transparency news media public register

Introduced by: Senator Alex Antic (LIB)

Links to official parliament websites

Official page: progress through parliament

Effects of this bill

If this bill passes, it means that:

Disclosure entities; including ACMA licence holders, regulated print media, the ABC, and the SBS; must give written notice of media interests to the ACMA within 30 days.
Directors, executives, journalists, and editors must disclose media interests to their employer within 30 days.
Disclosure entities must create policies and procedures to help staff report these interests.
The ACMA must maintain an electronic Register of Media Interests on its website.
People who fail to notify the ACMA or disclose an interest face a civil penalty of 250 penalty units (2026: $91,000).
ACMA licence holders may have their licences suspended or cancelled if they fail to provide required notices.