AUSTRALIAN Broadcasting Authority chairman David Flint said he had no power to force regional broadcasters to provide local news — three months before calling an inquiry into the axing of local bulletins.

But having later received contradictory advice, Professor Flint announced last month the ABA would investigate the adequacy of local TV news and information programs in regional and rural Australia.

The ABA‘s decision followed the sudden ending of local TV news bulletins in Canberra, Cairns, Townsville, Darwin and Alice Springs by Southern Cross Broadcasting, taking services from a million viewers.

Local TV news bulletins were also cut by Prime Television earlier this year in Canberra, Newcastle and Wollongong, with the loss of 37 jobs.

“The Broadcasting Services Act charges the ABA with the responsibility for monitoring the broadcasting industry,” Professor Flint said, announcing theinquiry last month.

“In a democratic society, all citizens are entitled to be informed adequately on matters of public interest. The ABA is concerned that these developments may amount to a significant decrease in the availability of these services to viewers in regional and rural areas.”

However, a letter he wrote in August to the Communications Law Centre says the ABA has no power to impose a condition on a licensee to screen local bulletins, although he now says he later received different advice.

“The ABA has limited power to address the provision of local news content under the relevant provisions of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992,” he wrote.

Yesterday Professor Flint said the ABA launched its inquiry after receiving advice that it could have the power to force broadcasters to provide local news content.

“The act is not clear on this,” he said. “It is not unusual to have contradictory advice. The law is not an exact science.”

But Professor Flint said one of the ABA‘s powers was “crystal clear”: if the authority identified a problem and the solution was beyond its powers, it had theright to approach the Government and recommend legislative changes.

“The point of this investigation, apart from finding out whether there is a problem, and that requires listening to both the public and broadcasters, is also to find out what our powers are.

“If there is a problem and if we don’t have the requisite powers or they are highly doubtful, then we would want to make a recommendation to the Government for a change in the law.

“We would want to be satisifed that local news and information is being broadcast and that local communities are being served.”