REGULATORY RESOURCES

HOW TO MAKE A COMPLAINT

You can make a complaint to Ad Standards by:

Lodging a complaint online here

Or Write a letter (via post or fax) to:

Ad Standards
Level 2
97 Northbourne Avenue
TURNER ACT 2612

Fax: (02) 6262 9833

 

Complaints under the AANA Self-Regulatory System

Complaints about the content of an advertisement or marketing communication can be made under the AANA Codes to Ad Standards.

AANA Code of Ethics and the AANA Practice Note – Code of Ethics – provides the overarching set of principles around portrayal of people, sexual appeal, sex, sexuality and nudity, language, violence and health and safety. The new Code is effective from 1 February 2021: AANA Code of Ethics, AANA Practice Note – Code of Ethics and a guide to overtly sexual imagery in Advertising.

AANA Code For Advertising and Marketing Communications To Children – is designed to ensure that advertising and marketing communications directed at Australian children is conducted within prevailing community standards around clear representation, sexualised images, unsafe or dangerous products, competitions, use of popular personalities, privacy and food and beverage advertising.

AANA Food & Beverages Advertising & Marketing Communications Code – is designed to ensure a high sense of social responsibility in advertising and marketing of food & beverage products and services in Australia around undermining healthy active lifestyle, misleading or deceptive nutritional or health comparisons.

Environmental Claims in Advertising and Marketing Code ensure that advertisers and marketers develop and maintain rigorous standards when making Environmental Claims and to increase consumer confidence to the benefit of the environment, consumers and industry.

Information on other complaints and code systems can be accessed here.

 

Other Codes and Initiatives

Complaints to the ASB can also be made under the following industry codes and initiatives:

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) Motor Vehicle Code – issues covered by the FCAI Code include unsafe driving, depiction of speeding, illegal driving practices, depiction of people driving while fatigued or under the influence of alcohol, issues of clarity concerning motorsport in advertising.

ABAC Responsible Alcohol Marketing Code (ABAC) – issues covered include depictions of responsible consumption of alcohol and appeal to children.

Australian Food and Grocery Council Responsible Children’s Marketing Initiative of the Australian Food and Beverage Industry – covers advertisements for food and beverage products to children under 12 in media by signatories to the initiative.

Australian Quick Service Restaurant Industry Initiative for Responsible Advertising and Marketing to Children –covers advertising and marketing communications to children under 14 years of age by quick service restaurants who have signed up to the initiative.

 

Other Complaint Systems

Complaints about misleading and deceptive conduct, Therapeutic Goods Advertising, program promotions and program content, are dealt with by other regulatory and complaints handling systems.

Therapeutic goods – please address your complaint to the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Misleading and deceptive conduct, country of origin – refer to your State/Territory consumer protection agency or the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Television or radio programming, program content or program promotions – if your complaint is about a program you have seen on television, or the placement of a commercial (i.e. the time of day you saw the advertisement) or a program promotion, refer to the following industry websites:

Commercial television – please direct your complaint to Free TV Australia

Subscription Television and Radio Content – please direct your complaint to the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA) after first contacting the station or broadcaster

ABC or SBS Content – please refer to the ABC or the SBS.

For complaints about radio, please direct your complaint to the relevant station.