TV Captioning Access

Thanks to Deafness Forum Australia for providing a simple guide to how fix common issues and make a complaint:

Common captioning issues you can fix.

Captions and lines of text may not appear as they should if you have a problem with your:

• TV reception 
• internet connection.

Diagnose and fix your TV reception to see if this helps. The video, turning on captions and troubleshooting, may also help.

Before you complain.

You will need to give enough information to identify the program being complained about:

• the date of broadcast
• the name of the television program
• the television channel on which you saw the program.

You will also need to provide your contact details and explain the problem with the captioning.

Complain about captioning on commercial and subscription television.

You may want to contact the broadcaster first if you think the captioning problem is a technical one that could be fixed by the broadcaster. For example, if the captions are dropping in and out.

You can complain directly to ACMA, the broadcast watchdog by completing the broadcasting complaint form.

Information about making a complaint about captioning on commercial or subscription television is also available in this video, which includes Auslan translation and captioning.

Complain about captioning on ABC or SBS.

If you have a captioning complaint about a program broadcast by the ABC or SBS, you must write directly to the relevant broadcaster within 6 weeks of the broadcast.

If your complaint is about a program broadcast on ABC, you can write to ABC Audience and Consumer Affairs, GPO Box 9994, in the capital city of your state or territory, or make your complaint through the ABC website.

If your complaint is about a program broadcast on SBS, you must put your complaint in writing and send it to Locked Bag 028, Crows Nest NSW 1585, or email comments@sbs.com.au. Further information about captioning complaints about an SBS program or service is available at the SBS website.

For either SBS or ABC, if you don’t receive a response within 30 days, or you’re not satisfied with the response, you can refer your complaint to us by completing the broadcasting complaint form.

Information about making a complaint about captioning on ABC or SBS is also available through an informational video, which includes Auslan translation and captioning.

When you cannot complain.

Some services are exempt from the Act and do not have to show captions. You cannot complain about caption quality or missing captions on: 

• community TV
• advertisements 
• programs that are not in English
• programs that consist only of music
• catch-up TV programs.