Updated 1 April 2026
Teachers may use radio and television broadcasts for educational purposes by:
- playing radio or television in class
- playing copies of radio or television broadcasts in class, including from a resource centre platform
- sending students links to broadcasters’ online channels
- telling students to watch radio or television broadcasts at home
- making and sharing copies of radio or television broadcasts under the Statutory Broadcast Licence.
Playing radio or television in class
Teachers and students at schools or TAFEs can rely on an exception (section 28 of the Australian Copyright Act) to do the following in class or during the course of teaching a class:
- play live broadcast radio and television programs (e.g. playing ABC’s Behind the News from a live ABC television channel)
- stream radio and television programs from catch up services, such as ABC iView or SBS On Demand, or from broadcasters’ online channels
- play copies of radio or television programs from a resource centre platform (only schools and certain NSW and WA TAFEs that are covered by the Statutory Broadcast Licence can use copies of television and radio broadcasts made available on resource centre platforms – see below).
The section 28 exception only applies where teachers or students are playing radio or television programs:
- in the course of education and not for profit; and
- to an audience or class that only consists of people giving or receiving instruction (ie teachers and students), or people who are directly connected with the place where instruction is given.
Section 28 does not allow teachers to make copies of radio or television broadcasts. Making copies of radio or television broadcasts may be permitted under the Statutory Broadcast Licence (see below).
For further information on section 28, schools should see Performance and Communication of Copyright Material in Class: What am I allowed to do? and TAFE institutes should see Performance and Communication of Copyright Material in Class: What am I allowed to do? and Use of Television Programs and Film by TAFE Institutes without a Screenrights Licence.
Making and sharing copies of radio or television broadcasts
The Statutory Broadcast Licence permits the majority of schools and certain TAFE institutes in NSW and WA to copy broadcast material and communicate those copies solely for educational purposes.
Educational purposes include:
- teaching purposes, including preparation for teaching a class (e.g. playing a copy of an ABC News weather segment to a Geography class)
- as a part of a course of study (e.g. a teacher asking students to watch a copy of a documentary on climate change as part of a science course).
Most schools and covered TAFE institutes that want access to copies of television and radio broadcasts subscribe to a resource centre such as ClickView, TV4Education, Wingaru, Understanding Faith or Informit. Resource centres copy broadcast television and radio programs and make these copies accessible on their subscription platforms.
The Statutory Broadcast Licence only covers broadcast material. It does not cover audiovisual content that has not been broadcast, such as videos on YouTube or streaming services like Netflix or Stan.
Note: There are many ways that teachers can use non-broadcast audiovisual material that is not covered by the Statutory Broadcast Licence. See Films and Videos, Flexible Dealing, Performance, Communication of Copyright Material in Class, YouTube – Using and Use of Television Programs and Film by TAFE Institutes without a Statutory Broadcast Licence for further information.
See Statutory Broadcast Licence for further information.
Sharing links to radio or television broadcasts
Teachers at schools or TAFEs can also:
- send students links to broadcasters’ online channels or broadcasters’ catch-up services like ABC iView or SBS On Demand
- tell students to view radio or television broadcasts at home,
without infringing copyright.