Television broadcasting of Parliament

The opening of Parliament was televised regularly from 1962, but it was another 24 years before any other televising of Parliament occurred. Proceedings in the chamber could not be filmed, and when the first trial screening of question time occurred in 1986, panning across the chamber was banned. Televising since then has been limited to the coverage of budgets, or particularly controversial issues during question time. Until recently, television companies have not been greatly interested in providing Parliament free-to-air.