Overview

The Advertising Standards Bureau administers a national system of advertising self-regulation through the Advertising Standards Board and the Advertising Claims Board.  The self-regulation system recognises that advertisers share a common interest in promoting consumer confidence in and respect for general standards of advertising.

The Advertising Standards Board provides a free public service of complaint resolution. It provides determinations on complaints about most forms of advertising in relation to issues including the use of language, the discriminatory portrayal of people, concern for children, portrayals of violence, sex, sexuality and nudity, health and safety, and marketing of food and beverages to children.

An Independent Reviewer provides the community and advertisers a channel through which they can appeal decisions made by the Advertising Standards Board. The review process is available to the advertiser and the person who originally made a complaint.

The Advertising Claims Board provides a competitive complaint resolution service. It is designed to determine complaints involving issues of truth, accuracy and legality of advertising on a user pays cost recovery basis. For more information about the Claims Board, see Industry Guide.

Both boards make their determinations under appropriate sections of the Code of Ethics, as prescribed by the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA), by following principles laid down by the AANA in consultation with the advertising industry. Determinations are also made by the Advertising Standards Board in relation to the AANA Code for Advertising and Marketing Communications to Children, the AANA Food and Beverages Advertising and Marketing Communication Code, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries Voluntary Code of Practice for Motor Vehicle Advertising, the Australian Food and Grocery Council's Responsible Children's Marketing Initiative of the Australian Food and Beverage Industry, or the Australian Quick Service Restaurant Industry Initiative for Responsible Advertising and Marketing to Children. 

The Advertising Standards Bureau is secretariat for the Advertising Standards Board and the Advertising Claims Board.  The Bureau, based in Canberra, works to promote the work of the Boards and the role of the Advertising Standards Bureau in the system of advertising self-regulation.  The Bureau is governed by a Board of Directors.

The Bureau Board is responsible, with the CEO, for the corporate governance of the Advertising Standards Bureau. Through its strategic, financial and operational dealings, the Board aims to position the ASB as the foremost complaints resolution body for advertising in Australia.