| A brief history of the TGACC
In Australia all advertisements and generic information provided
about Therapeutic Goods directed to the public must comply with
provisions of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 and Therapeutic Goods
Regulations 1990 and the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code (TGAC).
The history of the advertising Code goes back almost 30 years. The
Code was originally developed by the first TGACC which had been
established in the 1970s' by the Media Council of Australia (MCA).
The MCA administered the operation of the TGACC as well as the revision
and maintenance of the Code. The Code was authorized by the Trade
Practices Tribunal during 1988 and gained a degree of legal underpinning
in February 1991 when parts of it were picked up in the Therapeutic
Goods Act 1989.
The MCA advised the Australian Competition and Consumer Council
(ACCC) in September 1996 that it would cease operation at the end
of that year. This left the Code Council and the Code orphaned.
Following the demise of the MCA scheme, two key industry associations,
the Proprietary Medicines Association of Australia (now the Australian
Self-Medication Industry) and the Nutritional Foods Association
of Australia (now the Complementary Healthcare Council), formed
a collegiate with a view to taking over the administration of the
Code Council and getting authorization of the Code by the ACCC.
However, this arrangement would have applied only to members of
the two associations and not to all advertisers of therapeutic goods.
As a result, the Collegiate embarked on a different route that would
provide a system applicable to all.
This was achieved through a range of amendments (Amendment 400)
to the Therapeutic Goods Act and Regulations in December 1997. Amendment
400 provided for the establishment of a Therapeutic Goods Advertising
Code Council, a Complaints Resolution Panel and the formal approval
of mainstream print advertisements for therapeutic goods.
A major review of all advertising arrangements in 1999 resulted
in the development of a principles-based code and the expansion
of the approval and complaints processes to include other forms
of therapeutic goods advertising. Generic information about therapeutic
goods is included.
Code Council's key responsibilities are to:
• ensure that the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code is current,
relevant and reflects community values and standards (the Code is
discussed in more detail below);
• ensure a level playing field for all advertisers; and
• make recommendations to the Minister about:
• uniform standards in approval processes and
advertising;
• appeals about approvals decisions;
• submissions for exemption to use restricted representations
• the application of public interest criteria; and
• policy advice.
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