Television plays an important role in supporting the communication of emergency warnings.
Emergency warnings requirements apply subscription television licensees.
The Broadcasting Services Act 1992 requires that if a broadcaster, at the request of an emergency service agency, transmits an emergency service warning on any of its television broadcasting services, the broadcaster must:
a) Transmit the whole of the warning in:
i) The form of text; and
ii) The form of speech; and
b) If it is reasonably practicable to do so—provide a captioning service for the emergency warning.
Emergency warnings must be provided in text – the intention of the legislation as it relates to captioning is to also require, where possible, the captioning of associated verbal commentary.
Where an Auslan interpreter is present at a news conference or official briefing regarding an emergency, subscription television licensees will include the Auslan interpreter in frame where it is practicable to do so.