Australia’s media landscape continues to evolve rapidly in response to shifting global and consumer trends and this has forced changes to how its national broadcasters operate. Competitive neutrality principles provide that government businesses activities should not enjoy net competitive advantages by virtue of their public sector ownership. The government believed it was timely to consider how the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) operate within the market and compete with the private sector.

The Commonwealth Department of Communication and the Arts conducted an expert panel to conduct the Inquiry into the Competitive Neutrality of the National Broadcasters in March 2018. The panel’s membership was Mr Robert Kerr (Chair), Ms Sandra Levy AO and Ms Julie Flynn. Following a consultation period, the expert panel report was released in December 2018.