The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has registered updated rules for commercial radio broadcasters including new requirements for content broadcast around school drop-off and pick-up times, and the disclosure of AI use. They are also working with Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) to ensure networks meet their Australian music obligations.
Under the Commercial Radio Code of Practice 2026, radio stations will be required to let their audience know when a synthetic voice is being used to host a regularly scheduled program or news broadcast. This is the first time AI has been addressed in a broadcasting code of practice and will be as a result of CADA presenter Thy who was airing weekday for six months before being revealed to be a voice clone.
Similar rumblings occurred as SCA made its news content across Australia increasingly AI scripted and voiced.
Presenters will also need to give special care when airing content between 8-9am and 3-4pm on school days, when children are more likely to be listening.
The Kyle and Jackie O Show were twice found in breach of decency and complaints handling codes by The ACMA last year. As a result the show and its employees and participants, for five years, cannot ‘broadcast content which is highly offensive to an ordinary reasonable listener or which contains strong and explicit Sexual References.’
ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said:
“Broadcasting rules must keep pace with technology and with community expectations. AI is a powerful tool that offers a lot of innovation for broadcasters.
However, listeners want greater transparency about when AI is being used. We welcome the commitments by the radio industry to address listener concerns.
Listeners are also worried about inappropriate content at peak travel times when families listen together.
These new rules set clear time windows where broadcasters must consider whether their content is suitable for children, giving parents and carers greater confidence when tuning in.”
The revised code, which was developed by industry group, also includes strengthened provisions around corrections for errors in news coverage and greater transparency in complaints reporting.
CRA welcomed the revised code with CEO Lizzie Young saying:
“We’re proud to lead the way with this new Code. The Australian radio industry is pleased to be proactively addressing evolving community standards, positioning the local commercial radio sector to navigate technological and social changes responsibly.”
The ACMA said they also have received a significant number of submissions calling for strengthened rules around the broadcasting of Australian music. The 2026 code includes changes to the station categories that determine how much Australian music must be played to ensure stations meet their Australian music obligations, including in relation to new Australian music. The ACMA and CRA will work with licensees over the next 12 months to assist their compliance with obligations to broadcast Australian music.
“Commercial radio is an integral part of Australia’s media landscape and these rules will help strengthen trust between broadcasters and their audiences.
“We would also like to see broadcasters voluntarily extend the code safeguards to content available on their on-demand streaming services. If they do not, we expect that new regulations may need to be put in place so that listeners know what to expect no matter how they tune in,” Nerida O’Loughlin said.
The Commercial Radio Code of Practice 2026 comes into effect on July 1, 2026.
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