Australians with disability need greater access to television. ACCAN is calling for the implementation of Audio Description on free-to-air television and increased captioning across commercial television networks.
Australians with disability continue to struggle to have meaningful access to television.
ACCAN's policy position on a customer service and reliability standard
Access to reliable communication services is vital for Australian consumers and is essential for social and economic participation.
The 2015 Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee (RTIRC) found that existing safeguards (e.g. Customer Service Guarantee (CSG)) focused on delivery of the Standard Telephone Service (STS) were of "rapidly declining relevance."
This is due to the shifting consumer preference toward mobile and internet based communication. The Committee recommended the Australian Government, in consultation with industry and consumer groups, develop a new safeguard in the form of a Consumer Communications Standard.
This policy position addresses consumer concerns about existing customer service and reliability measures, and proposes a new model for the future. It is a step towards a new Consumer Communications Standard.
The first version of Our Broadband Future came out in 2010, but ACCAN is pleased to report that despite new government policy directions and many debates over recent years, the four key principles on broadband espoused in our original statement have stood the test of time:
- Broadband for all.
- No consumer should be worse off during the transition and following the implementation of the National Broadband Network (NBN).
- Robust consumer protections and consumer engagement.
- Sustaining a competitive and fair market.
ACCAN, along with a number of Australian disability organisations, recommend that all governments, businesses and organisations immediately remove all inaccessible CAPTCHAs from their websites and replace them with accessible alternatives.
ACCAN and CHOICE's joint position statement on mobile commerce outlines the key consumer protection principles for m-commerce in the Australian market.
In response to emerging concerns around issues such as illegal downloading, ACCAN believes consumers’ interests must be represented in relation to copyright policy. As the peak consumer body representing communications consumers, we think it is important that we clarify our position on these issues and explain how we arrived at it.
ACCAN, in alliance with Australia's peak disability organisations, is calling for the federal government to implement a whole-of-government procurement policy for accessible information and communications technology (ICT). Ensuring that all government workplaces and services are accessible for people with disability will provide tangible benefits for the whole Australian community and economy.
Read more: Call for Australian Government policy for procurement of accessible ICT
The ACOSS Poverty in Australia 2014 report indicates that an estimated 2.55 million (13.9%) of Australians are living in poverty. Current Australian research indicates that many low-income consumers are facing financial barriers in getting connected and staying connected to essential telephony and broadband services. Research also indicates that low-income consumers are spending a significantly higher proportion of their income for telecommunications access.
ACCAN’s purpose is to work for “communications services that are trusted, inclusive, accessible and available for all.” Our Strategic Plan can be viewed at accan.org.au/about-us/reporting/strategic-plan.
In 2021-22 ACCAN will be focused on the following priority areas, informed by the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on consumers’ use of communications services and the need for accessible and easy-to-understand consumer education and information about communications issues. At the same time, we will be responsive to emerging issues, and engage with government and industry consultations in areas of significance for telecommunications consumers, including the converging areas of media, broadcasting and digital platforms.
Our policy priorities are developed in close consultation with ACCAN members, and are informed by our knowledge and analysis of the communications market.
ACCAN’s purpose is to work for “communications services that are trusted, inclusive and available for all.” Our Strategic Plan can be viewed at accan.org.au.
In 2021 ACCAN efforts will be focused on the following priority areas, informed by the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on consumers’ use of communications services. At the same time, we will be responsive to emerging issues, and engage with government and industry consultations in areas of significance for telecommunications consumers
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Our policy priorities are developed in close consultation with ACCAN members, and are informed by our knowledge and analysis of the communications market.
Our policy priorities are broad subject areas which identify the focus of our policy work for 2018-19. ACCAN's mission is to represent consumers and the public interest, with particular emphasis on the needs of consumers for whom the market is not working.
Our policy priorities were developed in close consultation with ACCAN members, and informed by our knowledge and analysis of the communications market and market trends.
The mobile phone is arguably more important than the fixed phone line for personal and business communications in regional and remote Australia, but users without reliable mobile coverage are missing out on this communications revolution. ACCAN has advocated strongly on this issue for a number of years and believes that the Australian Government has a vital role to play in improving mobile coverage in regional and remote Australia.