ACMA Action Against 2UE For John Laws Breach

Radio 2UE and John Laws have once again failed to disclose announcements as commercials. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has filed an application in the Federal Court of Australia seeking a civil penalty order against Radio 2UE Sydney Pty Ltd for breaching the licence condition.

The 2UE breaches relate to 13 failures by the licensee of 2UE to ensure that on-air announcements disclosing a commercial relationship were made during broadcasts of the John Laws Morning Show.

ACMA has reached agreement with Fairfax Media Limited (the current owner of 2UE) that 2UE will consent to civil penalty orders in the Federal Court in relation to the breaches and that both parties will submit to the Court that an appropriate penalty would be $130,000. It is ultimately a matter for the court to determine the civil penalty.

An enforceable undertaking was offered by 2UE and accepted by ACMA in September 2007 in response to ACMA’s findings that 2UE breached the Broadcasting Services (Commercial Radio Current Affairs Disclosure) Standard 2000 (the Disclosure Standard) 20 times during a broadcast in August 2006. The broadcast included extended discussion of the issue of Telstra’s privatisation. Compliance with the Disclosure Standard is a condition that applies to all commercial radio broadcasting licences.