Bill before parliament eliminates requirement for broadcasters to report annually on closed captioning

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Disability advocates are concerned the government is paving the way for broadcasters to stop providing closed captioning services.



Under proposed laws before parliament, free-to-air networks will no longer have to provide annual reports to show they are complying with captioning obligations.

Some in the deaf community fear that could be the first step in watering down their requirement to provide 100% captioning from 6am to midnight on primary channels.

It could also mean poorer-quality captions, South Australian Dignity for Disability MP, Kelly Vincent, says.

“This is where the watering down starts – if people don’t have to report to government about how they comply, of course there’s going to be less pressure on them (to provide captions),” she said on Tuesday.

Vincent has launched two petitions – one to senators and another to communications minister Malcolm Turnbull – to ensure captioning services are untouched.



The government insists the fears are unfounded because there are no avenues in the proposed laws that allow broadcasters to stop captioning services.

A spokesman for Turnbull pointed to the minister’s speech in parliament in which he said licensees would still have to provide the same level of captioning.

It is a condition of a TV broadcast licence to provide captions.