ACCAN National Conference 2015 - save the date

The ACCAN National Conference, Dollars and Bytes - Communications affordability now and tomorrow, was held from 1-2 September, 2015, at the Aerial UTS Function Centre in Sydney.

Affordability is one of our core objectives and was the focus of the Conference. Affordability of communications products is an issue that affects all consumers, from young people, to families and seniors.

Presentations and transcripts are now available and are linked below.

Conference Program

1-2 September 2015
Aerial UTS Function Centre, Sydney

Day 1

Opening session

Keynote session

Session 2: Indigenous consumers and affordability and update on Regional Telecommunications review

Session 3: Mapping affordability research

Michelle Rowland, Federal Member for Greenway - Shadow Minister for Communication

Session 4:  Affordability for All - The real experience

Rod Sims, ACCC Chairman

Session 5: Will the price be right

Apps for All Award Ceremony

Day 2

Session 1: Last Avenue for Digital Inclusion - Broadband & Social Housing

Gavin Williams, General Manger of Fixed Wireless & Satellite, nbnTM

Session 2: Communications Affordability, the Way Forward

Session 3: Debate: 'Digital disruption is in the best interest of consumers'

Closing remarks: Teresa Corbin, ACCAN CEO

2016: The Year of Digital Inclusion Launch

 


 

Day 1, Tuesday 1st September

Opening session

8:55-9:10am

Welcome and opening address
Teresa Corbin
CEO ACCAN

Welcome Address
Johanna Plante
Chairperson ACCAN Board

Welcome to Country
Uncle Chicka Madden
Cultural Representative, Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council

Opening Address
The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, Minister for Communications
[video not provided to ACCAN with subtitles - please refer to conference transcript]


[watch on youtube]

Download: docxTranscript18.94 KB
Download: pdfTranscript206.09 KB


Keynote session

9:10-10:05am

Ideas Garden promotional video

[watch on youtube]


Claire Milne
Visiting Senior Fellow, Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics

Claire Milne, MBE, has worked in the telecoms sector since 1975. A Maths graduate, she had a varied series of management jobs within British Telecom, including teletraffic theory, exchange and network design, regulation, marketing strategy and mobile. Since 1989, she has been a consultant, first with Ovum and then in her own company Antelope Consulting; and since 2003 she has been a Visiting Senior Fellow at LSE. From 2008 to 2014 she chaired the Consumer Forum for Communications at Ofcom. Consultancy has taken her to scores of countries, and she contributed to CTN's For Whom The Phone Rings and ACCAN's Future Consumer.

ACCAN is very pleased to welcome Claire as the keynote speaker for the ACCAN National Conference 2015.

[watch on youtube]

PresentationpdfClaire Milne presentation846.47 KB

Download: docxTranscript33.79 KB
Download: pdfTranscript273.55 KB


10:05-10:30am

Paul Shetler
CEO
Digital Transformation Office

[watch on youtube]

Presentation: pdfPaul Shetler presentation5.67 MB

Download:docxTranscript26.98 KB
Download:  pdfTranscript225.37 KB


Morning Tea: 10:30-11:00am - Sponsored by National Relay Service, speech 10.30-10.32am


Session Two

11:00-11:20am

Heron Loban
Indigenous Consumers and Communications Affordability

lnsights into affordability of telecommunications products and services for Indigenous consumers.

[watch on youtube]

11:20-11:30am

Deena Shiff
Director, Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee

Update on Regional Telecommunications Review

 [watch on youtube]

Download: docxTranscript26.54 KB
Download: pdfTranscript229.05 KB


Session Three

11:30-12:30pm

The real experience: Sarah Toohey, Council to Homeless Persons


[watch on youtube]

Mapping Affordability Research

This session will investigate the current research landscape on the affordability of telecommunications products and services and will identify the existing research gaps. By drawing on the expertise of researchers from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, this session will provide insightful analysis of relevant research and consider exciting ideas for future research.

Moderator:
Dr Tony Eardley 
Hon. Senior Lecturer, Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales

Panel Participants:
Prof Julian Thomas
Director of the Swinburne Institute for Social Research

Dr Greg Ogle
Senior Policy & Research Analyst, South Australian Council of Social Service

Linda Caruso
Executive Manager, Strategy and Research Branch, Corporate and Research Division, ACMA

Presentation: pdfLinda Caruso presentation672.38 KB

Diane Carmody
Acting Ombudsman, Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman

 

Download: docxTranscript35.93 KB
Download: pdfTranscript252.92 KB


Lunch: 12:30-1:30pm


1:30-2:00pm

Ms Michelle Rowland MP
Shadow Minister for Citizenship & Multiculturalism.
Shadow Assistant Minister for Communication.
Federal Member for Greenway.

Presentation: pdfMichelle Rowland presentation509.27 KB

Download: docxTranscript 28.37 KB
Download: pdfTranscript230.76 KB


Session Four

2:00-3:00pm

Affordability for all-The Real Experience

This session focuses on ACCAN's basic principle that all Australians should have access to affordable telecommunications services. Participants will discuss a key issue from within the areas of small business, regional and remote consumers, low income and Indigenous consumers and consumers with disability. Participants will consider if there are any common issues and discuss possible solutions. The audience will have an opportunity to contribute to the discussion during Q&A.

Facilitator:
Chris Dodds
Chairperson
Telstra Low Income Measures Assessment Committee

Panel Participants:
Jo Benvenuti
Chair, Consumers Federation of Australia

Anthony Gibson: Video

Peter Strong
CEO, Council of Small Businesses of Australia

Fleur Turner: Video

Katie Acheson
Managing Director, Youth Action

 

Matthew Wight
CEO, Australian Federation of Disability Organisations

Ben McAmaney: Video

 

Roland Manderson
Deputy Director, Anglicare Australia

Pat Warriner: Video

Download: docxTranscript 30.89 KB
Download: pdfTranscript241.14 KB

 


Afternoon Tea: 3:00 – 3.30 pm


3:30-4:00pm

The real experience: Gerard Brodie, CALC


[watch on youtube]

 

Rod Sims
ACCC Chairman

Post speech video of Rod Sims
If I could say one thing: The Checkout, ABC1 Television

[watch on youtube]

 

Download: docxTranscript25.35 KB
Download: pdfTranscript223.02 KB

 


Session Five

4:00-5:00pm

Will the price be right?

This session will look at some of the instruments, market factors and consumer trends that affect prices into the future. It will examine the likely trend in product pricing (broadband, mobile and telephone services) and identify what effect this will have on affordability of products for consumers. In answering this it will develop the conversation from the previous session about what is the basic level of service that consumers will need access to in the future.

Facilitator:
Alan Kirkland
CEO, Choice

Panel Participants:
Shara Evans
CEO, Futurist, Keynote Speaker, Market Clarity

David Forman
Senior Manager, Industry & Policy, Macquarie Telecom

Nick McClintock
Director, Economic Analysis, Bureau of Communications Research

 

Download: docxTranscript43.42 KB
Download: pdfTranscript260.88 KB

 


Drinks & Canapés

5:00-7:00pm

Apps For All Challenge Awards Ceremony

Together with Telstra, ACCAN brings you the Apps For All Challenge - Australia's only competition for accessible mobile apps, aiming to raise awareness of the issues faced by people with disability and older Australians with using apps on smartphones and tablets. The awards will acknowledge the apps that excel at including everyone.

Presentations from Dr Karsten Wildberger, Group Managing Director, Telstra Consumer and Emeritus Professor Ron McCallum AO, University of Sydney.

[watch on youtube]

Download: docxTranscript23.38 KB
Download: pdfTranscript221.74 KB

 


Day 2, Wednesday 2nd September

Session One

9:00-10:00am

Last Avenue of Digital Inclusion – Broadband & Social Housing

This session will present the results of ACCAN and Infoxchange research investigating social housing broadband - costs, service options and barriers to broadband take up in social housing and who is responsible for what aspects of the service.

Facilitator:
Dr Tessa Boyd-Caine
Deputy CEO, ACOSS

Keynote:

Daniel Salmon
Researcher, Infoxchange

Brendan Fitzgerald
Manager, Digital Inclusion, Infoxchange

Panel Participants:
Jenny Leong MLA
Greens spokesperson on Tenancy, Rental Housing and Strata Issues

Mark Feenane
Executive Officer, Victorian Public Tenants Association

Rodrigo Gutierrez
Manager, Sustainable Communities & Partnerships, Hume Community Housing Association

David Spriggs
CEO, Infoxchange

[watch on youtube]

Download: docxTranscript43.35 KB
Download: pdfTranscript274.93 KB

 


10:00-10:30am

Gavin Williams
General Manager
Fixed Wireless & Satellite
nbnTM

Download: docxTranscript27.44 KB
Download: pdfTranscript226.91 KB

 


Morning Tea: 10:30-11:00am


Session Two

11:00-1:00pm

Communications Affordability, the Way Forward

This session brings together thought-leaders and experts to propose new ideas. Unrestrained by commercial interests, political ideology or the status-quo our presenters will propose new and innovative solutions to remove affordability barriers faced by some telecommunications consumers. Responding to these ideas as well as issues and case studies raised on day one of the conference, Australia's leading Telcos will have an opportunity to outline their plans for closing the affordability gap now and into the future.

Facilitator:
Teresa Corbin
CEO, ACCAN

Panel Participants:
Robert Morsillo
Senior Advisor, Digital Inclusion Team, Chief Sustainability Office, Telstra

David Epstein
Vice President, Corporate & Regulatory Affairs, Singtel Optus

Matthew Lobb
General Manager, Industry Strategy & Public Policy, Vodafone

Ged Mansour
Head of Corporate Affairs & Communications, amaysim

Jeremy Way
General Manager, Jeenee Mobile

Mark Dioguardi
CTO, iiNet

Speakers:
Fiona Guthrie
Executive Director, Financial Counselling Australia

Dr Scott Hollier
Manager, Major Projects, Media Access Australia

Dr Justine Humphry
Lecturer, Cultural & Social Analysis,
School of Humanities and Communication Arts, University of Western Sydney

Paul Budde
CEO, BuddeComm

Dr Peter Gerrand
Hon Professorial Fellow, Melbourne School of Engineering, University of Melbourne

[watch on youtube]

Download: docxTranscript66.73 KB
Download: pdfTranscript327.29 KB

 


Lunch: 1:00-2:00pm


Session Three

2:00-2:55pm

Debate: 'Digital disruption is in the best interest of consumers'

Disruptive innovation has the potential to create new markets, choice, drive down prices and improve service delivery for consumers. Will the latest wave of digital disruptors liberate consumers from monopolies or shackle them to new ones? We hear from six experts debating the merits of disruption for consumers.

Moderator:
Delia Rickard
Deputy Chairperson, ACCC

Affirmatives:
Brad Kitsche
Director Public Policy (Oceania), Uber

Brendan Coady
Maddocks Lawyers

Daniel Duggan
Head of Mobile, Yatango

Negatives:
Stilgherrian
Freelance Journalist and Commentator

Katina Michael
Associate Professor,
Faculty of Engineering & Information Sciences, University of Wollongong

David Vaile
Executive Director, Cyberspace & Policy Centre

[watch on youtube]

 

Download: docxTranscript42.28 KB
Download: pdfTranscript265.97 KB

 


Closing remarks

2:55pm

Summation by Teresa Corbin, ACCAN CEO


3:00-3:15pm

2016: The Year of Digital Inclusion

Launch of the Year of Digital Inclusion by Infoxchange CEO, David Spriggs.


Download:  docxTranscript21.1 KB
Download:  pdfTranscript211.88 KB

 


Afternoon Tea: 3:15-3:45pm


ACCAN Annual General Meeting (AGM)

3:45pm


Download Conference program: docxACCAN Conference Program 727.38 KB

Download Conference program: pdfACCAN Conference Program219.49 KB