The Australian media watchdog has launched a formal enquiry into the hoax call to the London hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated. Nurse Jacintha Saldanha was found dead on Friday, three days after taking the call from an Australian radio station. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will focus on the 2DayFM licence holder and not directly on the presenters who made the call. It will be examining if “broadcasting obligations” were breached. On Wednesday, speaking in the Commons, UK Prime Minister David Cameron called Mrs Saldanha’s death a “complete tragedy” and said lessons needed to be learnt. She had taken a call from two presenters, who were pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles, at the King Edward VII’s Hospital, where the duchess was being treated for severe morning sickness. ACMA said its investigation would look at the compliance of 2DayFM’s licensee, Today FM Sydney Pty Ltd, with its licence conditions and the Commercial Radio Codes of Practice. ACMA chairman Chris Chapman said: “The ACMA’s formal regulatory relationship is always with the relevant licensee, and not the presenters of any broadcast in question. The ACMA will be examining whether the licensee has complied with its broadcasting obligations.”
