Loading The ABC and SBS were not overstepping their charters by publishing free online news, the review found - though the charters were so broad it was "hard to conceive of an activity or program that could not arguably be fitted under the charters as they are currently written". In fact, the charters compelled the public broadcasters to maximise their reach and become "significant" content providers across all platforms, Mr Kerr's report concluded. Despite the ABC and SBS increasingly "rubbing up" against commercial rivals in a changing media landscape, the broadcasters complied with the principles of competitive neutrality and there was no evidence they were undercutting the market, according to the report. The Australian Government Competitive Neutrality Complaints Office has only received a single complaint about the ABC or SBS, which was levelled against the ABC in 1999.

Furthermore, the review found the market share of the two broadcasters was not large, had not increased dramatically and did not pose any competitive concerns. The major source of competition to Australian commercial media outlets was international media, the report affirmed. In response, Mr Fifield acknowledged the ABC and SBS charters were broad and flexible. He noted the panel recommended the broadcasters be more transparent in how they report on their competitive activities and charter adherence, but indicated the government would take no action to enforce this. "It is now up to the national broadcasters to act on these recommendations," Mr Fifield said. The Coalition government agreed to the inquiry as part of a deal with Pauline Hanson's party to pass media ownership reforms. It also hit the ABC and SBS with another efficiency review, which Mr Fifield is currently sitting on alongside a review of local and children's content.

Loading The inquiry's failure to uncover any abuse of the ABC's competitive position will be welcomed by the broadcaster, which has endured a difficult year rocked by the sacking of managing director Michelle Guthrie and resignation of chairman Justin Milne. Ms Guthrie had attacked the inquiry as an appeasement of the ABC's commercial rivals who wanted the public broadcaster "corralled out of the digital landscape". In particular, Fairfax Media - the now-defunct owner of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age - complained the ABC had "undermined the level playing field" in Australian media through its "aggressive expansion" into digital news. Mr Kerr's report found the ABC and SBS were simply following their amended charters, which have included digital media since 2013, and responding to changing consumer preferences.

Mr Kerr said debate about the ABC and SBS charters "will not fade away", and that the broadcasters were likely to keep expanding their operations, constrained only by their respective budgets. To that end, Mr Kerr recommended the government consider options for a long-term funding model for the ABC and SBS, rather than agreements that are renegotiated every three years. In a statement, the ABC welcomed the report for "recognising that the ABC should be able to adapt to new and emerging technology and audience behaviours", and said it would consider the recommendations. A retired economist, Mr Kerr held a senior role in the Productivity Commission in the Howard years before running Victoria's competition agency. Former SBS managing director Michael Ebeid, who now works with Telstra heading up the enterprise team, said he was "not surprised [there were] no material recommendations that came out of it for SBS" and argued the broadcaster was "not in a position to distort the market".