OUTDATED AND OUT-OF-STEP: TIME TO SCRAP THE TV BLACKOUT
Tonight’s commencement of the blackout period for television political advertising in WA is yet another reminder of how out-dated this restriction is.
“In an age where political parties are using multiple platforms to reach out to voters, it makes no sense to continue to apply a restriction to just one form of media,” Free TV spokesperson Ms Pam Longstaff said today.
This restriction comes from legislation passed 25 years ago—well before the advent of social media, the proliferation of online news sites, Pay TV and high-speed internet access.
“From midnight, the online news and Facebook feeds of Western Australians will be flooded with political ads—as marketing budgets are switched from broadcast to social media,” Ms Longstaff warned.
Free TV is again calling for this outdated restriction—that applies only to commercial broadcasters—to be removed.
“There is no reason for this restriction to continue to exist in 2017. It only serves to put commercial broadcasters at a disadvantage to all other media and is entirely at odds with modern marketing techniques,” Ms Longstaff said.
It’s time for the blackout period to be abolished and for political advertising regulation to catch-up to the rest of Australia.