VK0 AND VK9 PREFIXES: CHANGE

[IK0ZCW]

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has updated its "Amateur Radio Call Sign Policy". The document can be found on https://www.acma.gov.au/amateur-radio-resources#documents.
The changes affecting the DX community relate to the use of the VK0 and VK9 prefixes:
* callsigns with the prefix VK0 will only be assigned to operators located in the Australian Antarctic Territory.
* callsigns with the prefix VK9 will only be assigned to operators located in an Australian External Territory other than the Antarctic, i.e. Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands (including Mellish Reef and Willis Island), Heard and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island.
In practice, newly assigned callsigns will be prefixed with VK9 for Heard Island, VK7 from Macquarie Island (as it is part of Tasmania), and VK2 for Lord Howe Island (as it is part of New South Wales).