Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) have submitted an amendment to the Senate inquiry on the Prominence and Anti-siphoning Bill. The Bill is aimed at ensuring easy free-to-air television access on smart TVs, with CRA saying it must extend to Australian radio on smart devices like speakers and cars.

CRA chief executive officer Ford Ennals said:

“It is essential to both the radio industry and Australian communities that there is always free, easy, and universal access to Australian radio on smart speakers and in cars. If Australians cannot easily access local radio during emergencies such as bushfires, storms, floods, or traffic incidents, it can be an issue of community safety.”

“Our concern is if this Bill passes without any inclusion of radio, then the window of opportunity for this important reform would be lost. As smart devices become more prevalent, global tech giants are becoming more in control of the audio content that we can access – they are, in essence, the gatekeepers. All Australians need easy access to local radio, whether they are using a smart speaker or driving a connected car.”

You can read the CRA’s submission on the Communications Legislation Amendment here.