The Australian Publishers Bureau is an association of Australia´s major newspaper and magazine groups.

The Bureau began in 1977. It was loosely formed for the purpose of enabling any joint statement on general print issues to be made by one of two nominated representatives, on behalf of the several print media organisations within the Media Council of Australia. The foundation members of the Bureau were:

With the demise of the industry regulatory system and a warning from the Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in respect of publishers´ legal obligations under the Trade Practices Act 1974, the Bureau was quickly reconfigured to become an advisory opinion body to its publisher members and their constituent publications, on legal and other issues affecting advertising.

Whilst it is estimated that there are at least 160 pieces of Commonwealth, States and Territories legislation which impinge one way or another on advertising, of particular concern to publishers are the consumer protection provisions of the Commonwealth´s Trade Practices Act 1974, mirrored by the various States and Territories Fair Trading Acts.

Our publishers accept that, being in the business of conveying paid commercial representations, they have an obligation to detect and refuse to carry advertisements which, patently or on their face, appear misleading or otherwise in breach of the Act/s. Where this standard of prevention and/or correction is not met, or the relevant publisher is otherwise involved in the illegal conduct, then it may be held liable in the same way as the business that placed the advertisement. And the penalties are exactly the same.

It is hardly surprising therefore, that the Bureau´s members increasingly refer all manner of advertisements to the Bureau for advice and, particularly those involving consumer protection issues which impose legal obligations on the publishers themselves.