Sydney community broadcaster Radio Skid Row 88.9FM has been found to have breached community participation rules under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 after dismissing a volunteer presenter without following its own disciplinary process, the media regulator says.
An Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigation found the station did not give the presenter clear reasons for the dismissal or offer a right of appeal, contrary to its own procedures.
The ACMA said the content of Radio Skid Row’s policies and procedures did not restrict participation on political or cultural grounds. However, the station’s failure to follow its disciplinary procedure left the presenter believing they were dismissed for their political and cultural views and contributed to a broader perception of barriers to participation within the station on those grounds.
A separate ACMA investigation into on-air content at the station did not identify breaches of the community broadcasting codes of practice.
ACMA Authority Member Carolyn Lidgerwood said community radio plays a unique and important role contributing to an inclusive, cohesive and diverse Australian society.
“In this role, community radio stations also have a responsibility to encourage broad participation from the communities they serve. This is particularly important when the community radio station is serving a wide and diverse community such as Radio Skid Row is,” Ms Lidgerwood said.
“When stations fail to follow their own disciplinary procedures, it can create barriers to participation and discourage community involvement. This is the opposite of what community broadcasting is intended to achieve.”
Radio Skid Row has accepted the findings and introduced measures to strengthen its disciplinary and people-management processes. The station has used Fair Work resources to improve how it manages members and volunteers, reviewed policies and procedures to make them clearer, and clarified the programming committee’s role in managing conflicts. It will also deliver training on policies and procedures for all new and existing volunteers and members, and train board members and management on risk, psychosocial hazards and privacy obligations.
The station has agreed to provide the ACMA with progress reports on these measures and to report any disciplinary actions it takes in 2026 and 2027.
