The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has found comments made by the Kyle & Jackie O Show on June 7 2024, the early days of their launch into Melbourne and before they promised to behave, have breached decency rules under the Commercial Radio Code of Practice (the Code).

Following a listener complaint the ACMA investigations into found that the two segments referred to in the complaint included explicit sexual content and content that included sustained and vulgar graphic sexualised descriptions and that the station did not respond to a listener complaint within 30 days of receipt. You can read more about the outcomes here: https://www.acma.gov.au/investigations-radio-broadcasters#outcomes-of-our-2025-investigations

ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said:

“This content went beyond the bounds of decency expected by the community and was done so deliberately and provocatively. Even having two program censors employed by the broadcaster in place following previous ACMA enforcement action, this has not stopped occurrences of unsuitable content going to air.

Complaints are an essential part of Australia’s co-regulatory broadcasting system as they provide a reliable avenue for the public to put their concerns directly to the broadcaster. Failing to respond to complaints in the required timeframe undermines the effectiveness of the co-regulatory system.”

On February 7 2025 the ACMA opened two more investigations into Kyle and Jackie O Show content with these investigations also considering possible systemic issues in relation to the decency and complaint handling provisions.

Enforcement action for breaches found in the June 7 broadcast will be outlined once the additional investigations are finalised.

The ACMA says that if people have concerns about the content they see or hear on radio or television, they first contact the relevant broadcaster. If they are dissatisfied with the response or do not receive a response within 60 days, they may then raise their complaint with the ACMA.