© 2026 Zoe. All rights reserved.
Zoe is a legal information platform. Always consult the Federal Register of Legislation for authoritative text.
Commonwealth legislation
This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.
This Direction instructs the ACMA to promptly make technical rules requiring parental-lock capabilities in any device sold in Australia that receives digital TV broadcasts, so parents can block programs or channels their children access. In doing so ACMA must consider exemptions and seek industry-developed codes for electronic program guides and labelling schemes to help consumers identify compliant equipment. This shifts some content control tools from broadcasters to device-level safeguards.
Want the full deep dive?
Zoe can write the in-depth analysis on top of the summary above: how it works, who it affects and what each part actually does.
Direct links to the current provisions in Australian Communications and Media Authority (Development of Technical Standards for Domestic Digital Television Reception Equipment) Direction No. 1 of 2009.
I direct the ACMA to exercise its power under section 130B(1) of the Act, as soon as practicable, to determine technical standards to ensure that domestic reception equipment used for receiving any or all digital television broadcasting services or datacasting services have parental lock capabilities.
I direct the ACMA to consider the following matters during the course of determining a technical standard about child lock capabilities:
(a) whether to exempt any particular class of domestic reception equipment from the technical standards determined pursuant to this direction;
(b) whether to request an industry code under Part 9B of the Act that deals with electronic program guides with respect to the industry activities of providing a commercial television broadcasting service or a national television broadcasting service.;
(c) whether to request an industry code under Part 9B of the Act that deals with domestic reception equipment labelling schemes in relation to the industry activity of importing, manufacturing, or supplying domestic reception equipment that is capable of receiving any or all digital television broadcasting services or datacasting services.
Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
I direct the ACMA to exercise its power under section 130B(1) of the Act, as soon as practicable, to determine technical standards to ensure that domestic reception equipment used for receiving any or all digital television broadcasting services or datacasting services have parental lock capabilities.
I direct the ACMA to consider the following matters during the course of determining a technical standard about child lock capabilities:
(a) whether to exempt any particular class of domestic reception equipment from the technical standards determined pursuant to this direction;
(b) whether to request an industry code under Part 9B of the Act that deals with electronic program guides with respect to the industry activities of providing a commercial television broadcasting service or a national television broadcasting service.;
(c) whether to request an industry code under Part 9B of the Act that deals with domestic reception equipment labelling schemes in relation to the industry activity of importing, manufacturing, or supplying domestic reception equipment that is capable of receiving any or all digital television broadcasting services or datacasting services.