ABSTRACT
Australian television is locked into international television in terms of the flow of technology, programs and programming practices. The first stage of Australian television seems both familiar and remote from a present day point of view. All programs were broadcast in black and white. Australian television developed according to a pre-arranged pattern. In this second stage, cheap imports allowed commercial stations and networks to underwrite the costs of local productions. A precedent for the quota lay in the requirement introduced by the Board in 1960 that all commercials screened on Australian television be produced in Australia. The environment of Australian television since 1975 has been markedly different to that in earlier periods. The third stage of television has seen a new body and a new philosophy in the area of regulation. In 1976/7, the Australian Broadcasting Control Board was abolished and the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal established.
