Complaints procedures

The Sky News Australia services are committed to observe the standards set out in our Code of Conduct Policy for Editorial.  This policy upholds core principles including accuracy, fairness and balance in reporting.  The television channels of Sky News Australia, which are carried on the services of subscription and free-to-air broadcast licensees Foxtel, WIN and Southern Cross Austereo (SCA), are also governed respectively by the ASTRA Subscription Television Codes of Practice (Foxtel) and the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice (WIN and SCA). 

You can learn more about our Code of Conduct Policy for Editorial and the television Codes of Practice by following the links above.

How to make a complaint

These procedures apply to the editorial content of programs broadcast on the Sky News Australia channels and articles or videos published on SkyNews.com.au and in the Sky News Australia app.  Sky News Australia may amend these procedures at any time by publishing updated procedures to this webpage.

If you believe there has been a breach of our Code of Conduct Policy for Editorial or a television Code of Practice, you can submit your complaint by using the procedures set out below.  If you do not wish to make a formal complaint, and instead wish to share feedback about a Sky News Australia program or publication, you can submit your feedback via the form available on our feedback page.

Television: Complaints under the broadcasting Codes of Practice

Foxtel: If you have a complaint about a Sky News Australia broadcast you have seen on Foxtel under the ASTRA Subscription Broadcast Television Codes of Practice, please lodge your complaint via email here.  Your complaint must include your full name, a contact email address, the relevant program name, the date of broadcast, the Foxtel channel number, and a description of your complaint. 

Valid complaints about a program broadcast on Foxtel that are made under the ASTRA Subscription Broadcast Television Codes of Practice will be brought to the attention of the licensee, Foxtel, and will be handled in accordance with the Code. 

WIN and SCA: If you have a complaint about a Sky News Regional broadcast you have seen on WIN or SCA under the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice, please lodge your complaint via the FreeTV Electronic Lodgement System here.  Complaints must include details such as your full name and address, the name of the relevant channel and program, the date, time and location of the broadcast and a description of your complaint.

Valid complaints about a program broadcast on WIN or SCA that are made under the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice will be referred to the relevant broadcast licensee by Free TV and will be handled in accordance with the Code.

Online: Complaints under the Code of Conduct Policy for Editorial

If you have a complaint about an article or video you have seen on SkyNews.com.au, or in the Sky News Australia app, please lodge your complaint via email here.  Your complaint must include your full name, a contact email address, the title of the relevant article or video (or a link to the relevant article or video), the date you viewed the article or video and a description of your complaint. 

If you provide insufficient information for your complaint to be assessed, Sky News Australia may request you provide further details before processing your complaint.  If you fail to provide the requested details within a reasonable amount of time, Sky News Australia reserves the right to consider your complaint closed.

Sky News Australia will aim to acknowledge receipt of a valid complaint about a breach of the Code of Conduct Policy within five business days. 

All valid complaints will be reviewed and investigated by senior editorial staff at Sky News Australia.  If considered necessary, the author, presenter or producer of the relevant article or video will be consulted to inform Sky News Australia’s response.

Sky News Australia will notify you in writing of the outcome of your valid complaint within 30 business days of receiving all information necessary to investigate.  If a breach of the Code of Conduct Policy for Editorial is identified, the breach will be remedied prior to notification or as soon as possible afterwards. 

If a correction and/or apology is found to be required, Sky News Australia will take the following steps, depending on the nature of the confirmed breach:

  • If the identified issue can be remedied by additions or corrections to an article, those additions or corrections will be made, and an editor’s note will be placed at the base of the article explaining the amendments. If an embedded video cannot be remedied in the same way, it will be removed from publication.
  • If the identified issue cannot be remedied by additions or corrections to an article or video, the article or video will be removed from publication and a correction will be published to the Sky News Australia corrections page.

  • If an apology is required, it will be published to the Sky News Australia corrections page.

If a complaint is vexatious, abusive or threatens legal action, Sky News Australia reserves the right to handle that complaint outside of the procedures set out above.