The Community Radio Broadcasting Codes of Practice (2025) will take effect from July 1 2025 and the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) has provided a suite of resources to community broadcasters to begin preparing now.
Developed after extensive consultation with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and with community stations across Australia, the updated Codes outline the programming and operational standards that community radio stations must meet.
To support broadcasters to understand and implement the changes, resources are available with additional materials to be added in the lead-up to the launch.
Available now:
• A self-paced online course for staff, board members and volunteers learning – https://learning.cbaa.org.au/courses/codes-of-practice
• A dedicated landing page with resources and guidance – https://www.cbaa.org.au/codes
• Downloadable PDF and Word versions of the Codes
• And a short overview video introducing the new Codes which you can watch above.
Stations are encouraged to start reading, watching and sharing the information with their teams, regardless of individual roles with everyone having a role to play in ensuring community media remains ethical, inclusive and responsive to local needs.
Jon Bisset, Chief Executive Officer of the CBAA, said the new Codes reflect years of collaboration, a positive change and a forward approach to changing technology:
“The Community Radio Broadcasting Codes of Practice (2025) are the result of extensive consultation with ACMA and our sector. The Codes is hopefully easy to understand and doesn’t fundamentally change what stations are doing. It provides guidance to help stations do their job better, addressing new challenges around misinformation, disinformation, impartiality and complaints handling while continuing to reflect the diversity and values that make our sector unique.
We’ve committed to reviewing the Code every 3-5 years and to keep reviewing it. It’s fantastic to see this important work come to fruition after years of thoughtful input and effort.”
Each licensed community radio station will receive printed copies of the Codes by mail ahead of July 1. To receive updates as new resources are released, broadcasters can sign up at: https://www.tfaforms.com/5073512.