The Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983

as listed on the Australian Government Trasparency Portal. 

Additional information about the operations of the ABC can be found on this site including

Quality, Distinctiveness and Trust – The ABC  Corporate Tracking program.

Charter of the ABC – Summary 

The function of the Corporation is to provide innovative and comprehensive broadcasting and digital services of a high standard that;

1. Inform, entertain, educate and contribute to a sense of national identity while reflecting the cultural diversity of the Australian community.
2. Encourage and promote the musical, dramatic and other performing arts in Australia.
3. Enable Australian citizens living or travelling outside Australia to obtain information about Australian affairs and Australian attitudes on world affairs; and

As an independent media organisation it is required to:

1. Provide a balance between broadcasting programs of wide appeal and specialized broadcasting programs reflecting the multicultural character of the Australian community.
2. Broadcast to countries outside Australia, programs of news, current affairs, entertainment, and cultural enrichment that will encourage awareness of Australia and an international understanding of Australian attitudes on world affairs.

Full version follows below.

6 Charter of the Corporation

(1) The functions of the Corporation are:

(a) to provide within Australia innovative and comprehensive broadcasting services of a high standard as part of the Australian broadcasting system consisting of national, commercial and community sectors and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, to provide:

(i) broadcasting programs that contribute to a sense of national identity and inform and entertain, and reflect the cultural diversity of, the Australian community; and

(ii) broadcasting programs of an educational nature;

(b) to transmit to countries outside Australia broadcasting programs of news, current affairs, entertainment and cultural enrichment that will:

(i) encourage awareness of Australia and an international understanding of Australian attitudes on world affairs; and

(ii) enable Australian citizens living or travelling outside Australia to obtain information about Australian affairs and Australian attitudes on world affairs; and

(b) to provide digital media services; and

(c) to encourage and promote the musical, dramatic and other performing arts in Australia.

Note: See also section 31AA (Corporation or prescribed companies to be the only providers of Commonwealth‑funded international broadcasting services).

(2) In the provision by the Corporation of its broadcasting services within Australia:

(a) the Corporation shall take account of:

(i) the broadcasting services provided by the commercial and community sectors of the Australian broadcasting system;

(ii) the standards from time to time determined by the ACMA in respect of broadcasting services;

(iii) the responsibility of the Corporation as the provider of an independent national broadcasting service to provide a balance between broadcasting programs of wide appeal and specialized broadcasting programs;

(iv) the multicultural character of the Australian community; and

(v) in connection with the provision of broadcasting programs of an educational nature—the responsibilities of the States in relation to education; and

(b) the Corporation shall take all such measures, being measures consistent with the obligations of the Corporation under paragraph (a), as, in the opinion of the Board, will be conducive to the full development by the Corporation of suitable broadcasting programs.

(3) The functions of the Corporation under subsection (1) and the duties imposed on the Corporation under subsection (2) constitute the Charter of the Corporation.

(4) Nothing in this section shall be taken to impose on the Corporation a duty that is enforceable by proceedings in a court.

8 Duties of the Board

(1) It is the duty of the Board:

(a) to ensure that the functions of the Corporation are performed efficiently and with the maximum benefit to the people of Australia;

(b) to maintain the independence and integrity of the Corporation;

(c) to ensure that the gathering and presentation by the Corporation of news and information is accurate and impartial according to the recognized standards of objective journalism; and

(d) to ensure that the Corporation does not contravene, or fail to comply with:

(i) any of the provisions of this Act or any other Act that are applicable to the Corporation; or

(ii) any directions given to, or requirements made in relation to, the Corporation under any of those provisions; and

(e) to develop codes of practice relating to:

(i) programming matters; and

(ii) if the Corporation has the function of providing a datacasting service under section 6A—that service;

and to notify those codes to the ACMA.

(2) If the Minister at any time furnishes to the Board a statement of the policy of the Commonwealth Government on any matter relating to broadcasting or digital media services, or any matter of administration, that is relevant to the performance of the functions of the Corporation and requests the Board to consider that policy in the performance of its functions, the Board shall ensure that consideration is given to that policy.

(3) Nothing in subsection (1) or (2) is to be taken to impose on the Board a duty that is enforceable by proceedings in a court.