Sponsor speech Supports
Sophie Scamps
Sophie Scamps supports the bill and urges the House to back it, arguing that restricting junk food advertising is needed to protect children from an obesity and diabetes crisis.
Read in Hansard ↗Broadcasting Services Amendment (Healthy Kids Advertising)
Current status
This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.
Policy area
Transport & communications
What does this bill do?
The bill would ban unhealthy food ads on television, radio, subscription broadcasting and similar broadcast services from 6am to 9:30pm across Australia.
Why was it introduced?
Children are constantly exposed to high volumes of unhealthy food marketing, which increases their preference for these foods and contributes to excess weight gain and chronic disease risk. The bill bans unhealthy food marketing on broadcast services during the day and online at any time, and penalises both publishers and businesses that pay for it.
Broader context
National health guidance from 2018 and later preventive health, obesity and diabetes strategies had already pointed to government action on unhealthy food marketing, but children were still seeing large volumes of junk food advertising while one in four were overweight or obese. After a 2023 version of the proposal and a 2024 parliamentary diabetes report reinforced the case, the 2024 bill sought to ban unhealthy food advertising across daytime broadcasting and all paid online marketing, before lapsing at the March 2025 dissolution.
Key criticism
No significant public case against the bill is recorded so far, and no party represented in the debate is shown here arguing that restricting unhealthy food advertising would cause clear harm. The available speeches are supportive rather than critical, so any concerns about drafting, scope, business impact or enforcement are not developed into a substantial public objection in this record.
Who supported it?
Sophie Scamps MP introduced this bill. Speeches supporting it came from some crossbench members.
Introduced in House 18 Nov 2024
Failed in House 28 Mar 2025
Did not reach Senate —
Did not become law —
Did it become law?
No
The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.
Final passage
No final passage
The bill has not completed passage and is no longer proceeding.
Time before failure
130 days
From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding
Meaning
What does this bill do?
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The bill would ban unhealthy food ads on television, radio, subscription broadcasting and similar broadcast services from 6am to 9:30pm across Australia.
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The bill would ban unhealthy food marketing online at any time, and it would also punish businesses and others who pay for those online ads.
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The bill would define unhealthy food by using national health guidance on foods and drinks not recommended for promotion to children, and it would let the Minister add more products later.
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The bill would treat sponsorships, branding and web addresses linked to unhealthy food as marketing, not just standard advertisements.
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The bill would allow courts to impose large penalties, including fines tied to turnover for big companies that break the unhealthy food marketing bans.
Show source excerpts
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This item adds new provisions to the existing Act creating an offence of broadcasting unhealthy food marketing content in the period beginning at 6:00am and ending at 9:30pm. This offence applies to TV, Radio, narrowcasting and subscription, and datacast broadcast media.
Broadcasting Services Amendment (Healthy Kids Advertising) explanatory memorandum -
This item amends the existing Act to create new offences prohibiting online service providers from providing unhealthy food marketing content that can be accessed by end‑users in Australia through an through an online service, as well as a matching offence of paying for, or offering to pay for, an act of providing such content. Hence, these offences apply to both online providers and also to the purchasers of the marketing in question.
Broadcasting Services Amendment (Healthy Kids Advertising) explanatory memorandum -
“Unhealthy food” would be defined as products within a food or drink category not recommended for promotion by National interim guide to reduce children’s exposure to unhealthy food and drink promotion published by the COAG Health Council in 2018. The Minister may also issue instruments defining additional foods as unhealthy for the purposes of this definition.
Broadcasting Services Amendment (Healthy Kids Advertising) explanatory memorandum -
The scope of the term “marketing” will include advertising, sponsorship or promotional content that gives publicity to, or otherwise promotes or is intended to promote, unhealthy food, a trade mark that relates to unhealthy food, a domain name or URL that relates to unhealthy food, or other branding devices that are closely associated with unhealthy food.
Broadcasting Services Amendment (Healthy Kids Advertising) explanatory memorandum -
If the offender is a body corporate – the maximum penalty is the larger of either 2,000 penalty units (currently $626,000), or 5% of the annual turnover of the corporation for the preceding 12-month period which “involves or is associated with the manufacture or sale of unhealthy food”.
Broadcasting Services Amendment (Healthy Kids Advertising) explanatory memorandum
Context
Broader context for this bill
National health guidance from 2018 and later preventive health, obesity and diabetes strategies had already pointed to government action on unhealthy food marketing, but children were still seeing large volumes of junk food advertising while one in four were overweight or obese. After a 2023 version of the proposal and a 2024 parliamentary diabetes report reinforced the case, the 2024 bill sought to ban unhealthy food advertising across daytime broadcasting and all paid online marketing, before lapsing at the March 2025 dissolution.
- 2018
COAGThe government health body whose 2018 guide is used as the starting point for deciding which foods count as unhealthy here. guide sets a benchmark for foods not recommended to children
The bill drew its definition of unhealthy food from the COAG Health CouncilThe government health body whose 2018 guide is used as the starting point for deciding which foods count as unhealthy here.'s 2018 interim guide on foods and drinks not recommended for promotion to children.
Broadcasting Services Amendment (Healthy Kids Advertising) explanatory memorandum ↗ - 2021-2022
National health strategies call for limits on junk food marketing
The explanatory memorandum says the National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2030A national plan that the page cites as already supporting government action on unhealthy food marketing., the National Diabetes Strategy 2021-2030A national plan cited here as backing steps to reduce children’s exposure to unhealthy food marketing. and the National Obesity Strategy 2022-2032A national plan cited here as supporting government action on unhealthy food advertising and promotion. all recommended government-led action to protect children from unhealthy food marketing.
Broadcasting Services Amendment (Healthy Kids Advertising) explanatory memorandum ↗ - 19 June 2023
Scamps introduces the first Healthy Kids Advertising bill
The 2023 second reading speech argued Australian children were seeing at least 15 unhealthy food ads a day across television, radio, social media and other online services.
Hansard ↗ - 2024
Parliament's diabetes report adds another official warning
The explanatory memorandum cites the 2024 Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and SportThe House committee whose 2024 diabetes report is used in the page as another reason to act on unhealthy food marketing. report on diabetes as another source recommending action to shield children from unhealthy food marketing.
Broadcasting Services Amendment (Healthy Kids Advertising) explanatory memorandum ↗ - 18 Nov 2024
Scamps reintroduces the bill with broad broadcast and online bans
The 2024 bill was introduced to stop unhealthy food marketing on television and radio from 6am to 9.30pm and on online services at any time, with penalties for both publishers and advertisers.
Parliamentary timeline ↗ - 28 Mar 2025
The bill lapses when Parliament is dissolved
The proposal did not pass before the dissolution of Parliament, so the restrictions and penalty scheme were not enacted.
Parliamentary timeline ↗
Legislative route
How did it move through Parliament?
House Senate
Introduced 18 Nov 2024
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
Second reading opened 18 Nov 2024
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
Lapsed at dissolution 28 Mar 2025
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Key criticism
The main case against this bill
No significant public case against the bill is recorded so far, and no party represented in the debate is shown here arguing that restricting unhealthy food advertising would cause clear harm. The available speeches are supportive rather than critical, so any concerns about drafting, scope, business impact or enforcement are not developed into a substantial public objection in this record.
No significant public case against the bill is recorded so far.
Votes
Recorded votes
No recorded votes were found before this bill stopped proceeding.
Parliamentary debate
Who spoke, and what they said
Start here — lead voices
Lead non-major voice Supports
Monique Ryan
Ryan supports the bill and urges the House to pass it, arguing that junk food advertising is harmful to children and contributes to obesity and long-term health problems.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
Minor parties and independents
2 speakers · 4 contributions · 2 support
Minor parties and independents
2 speakers · 4 contributions · 2 support
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Sophie Scamps ★ 2 contributions Scamps supports the bill and urges the House to back it because she says junk food advertising is driving childhood obesity and industry self-regulation has failed.
Hansard records 2 separate contributions by Sophie Scamps, including an amendment-moving contribution. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.
Moved amendment
Scamps supports the bill and urges the House to back it because she says junk food advertising is driving childhood obesity and industry self-regulation has failed. She argues the law should restrict unhealthy food marketing on TV, radio, streaming services and online to better protect children.
“And so I urge all members of this House to support Australian parents and children by backing in this Healthy Kids Advertising Bill”
Read this contribution in Hansard ↗Moved amendment
Sophie Scamps supports the bill and urges the House to back it, arguing that restricting junk food advertising is needed to protect children from an obesity and diabetes crisis. She says the measure is part of a broader public health response and would curb harmful marketing on TV, radio, streaming and online.
“I urge all members of the House to step up and give our children the chance to live a healthy life by backing in this healthy kids advertising bill.”
Read this contribution in Hansard ↗ -
Monique Ryan ★ 2 contributions Ryan supports the bill and urges the House to pass it, arguing that junk food advertising is harmful to children and contributes to obesity and long-term health problems.
Hansard records 2 separate contributions by Monique Ryan on this bill. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.
Second reading speech
Ryan supports the bill and urges the House to pass it, arguing that junk food advertising is harmful to children and contributes to obesity and long-term health problems. She says children are heavily exposed to such ads online and on screens, and that the law should treat junk food advertising more like tobacco and vaping restrictions.
“So I commend this bill to the House.”
Read this contribution in Hansard ↗Second reading speech
Ryan supports the bill and says it should protect children from junk food advertising that she argues is exploitative and harmful. She backs it as a necessary step to reduce exposure to advertising that contributes to obesity and childhood-onset diabetes.
“This bill will protect our children from harm, and therefore I commend it to the House.”
Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
Record
Full record
- Status
- Not Proceeding -- Collected from the APH bill page.
- Originating house
- House of Representatives
- 18 Nov 2024
House · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
- 18 Nov 2024
House · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
- 28 Mar 2025
House · Lapsed at dissolution
Lapsed at dissolution
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.