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Television commenced in the United States and in the United Kingdom after the end of World War II. The two countries developed radically different industry models, which were based on the models each used for radio broadcasting. British TV was dominated by the government-created broadcasting corporation, the BBC, which derived most of its revenue from compulsory viewer licence fees, with some government allocation. The United States adopted a commercial model, based on privately-owned stations and networks that earned revenue by charging for advertising time, with public broadcasting forming only a minor component of the larger system.

In June 1948, the Chifley Labor government opted to follow the British model, on the advice from the Postmaster General's department. It decided to establish a government-controlled TV station in each capital city and called for tenders for the building of the six TV transmitters. The Broadcasting Act 1948 specifically prohibited the granting of commercial TV licenses, a decision that the Liberal-Country Party opposition criticised as "authoritarian and socialistic". This policy was never put into practice, however, because the Labor government did not have the opportunity to establish the TV network before it was defeated in December 1949. The incoming Menzies-led Liberal-Country Party coalition, which was to hold power for the next 23 years, changed the industry structure by also permitting the establishment of American-style commercial stations.

(extract from Wikipedia 2011)