ACCAN’s purpose, as outlined in our Strategic Plan, is to work for “communications services that are trusted, inclusive, accessible and available for all.”

Our approach to priorities

ACCAN has revised the way in which we approach our policy priorities, in consultation with our members. Feedback from members supported a movement to setting out our enduring priorities, which reflect our long-term areas of policy focus, and more immediate proactive areas of policy focus or policy themes.

Our enduring priorities reflect our commitment to members to represent them on key communications issues. While the activities ACCAN undertakes to advance our enduring priorities will continue to evolve, with the intent that these reflect our key and ongoing areas of policy work.

Our policy themes reflect our forward-looking proactive areas of policy focus that ACCAN will review on an annual or biennial basis in consultation with our members. The intent of our policy themes is to provide clear guidance to our members and stakeholders on those areas of proactive policy work that we will be seeking to advance over the coming financial year.

Our enduring priorities and policy themes have been developed through engagement with our members through our membership engagement forum.

Enduring priorities

Digital inclusion

ACCAN is committed to promoting and advancing digital inclusion, with particular focus on issues relating to the affordability and accessibility of services.

While our work on digital inclusion continues to evolve, this area of enduring policy work is aimed at supporting consumers that may face greater barriers to being digitally included. These include, but are not limited to, people with disability; regional, rural and remote consumers; First Nations Australians; and issues impacting young consumers, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and older Australians.

Some current issues in this policy priority include the affordability of broadband services and devices; access to suitable communications in regional, rural and remote Australia and remote First Nations communities; and the accessibility of communications services and devices for people with disability.

Consumer protections and a fairer telco market

ACCAN is committed to advancing the interests of consumers through enhancements to consumer protection arrangements. Sound consumer protections are necessary to allow consumers to engage confidently in the communications market.

ACCAN’s work and commitment to ongoing engagement with stakeholders will drive strengthened consumer protections through the direct regulation of consumer protections. Some current issues in this policy priority include the adequacy of consumer protection arrangements for financial hardship, credit assessment and domestic and family violence.

Reliable, resilient and robust infrastructure

Through this priority, ACCAN will advance the interests of consumers by supporting policy settings that provide for reliable, resilient and robust infrastructure. ACCAN will continue to engage with key infrastructure policy matters, including the economic regulation and pricing of NBN and legacy communications services and infrastructure investment programs.

Key issues in this policy priority include improving the coverage, capacity and reliability of regional, rural and remote infrastructure to support consumers, small business and communities to grow and thrive.

Policy themes

Connecting the community

This theme will examine the barriers to getting and staying connected for renters, people experiencing homelessness and those residing in supported accommodation, retirement villages and social, community, affordable or public housing.

Building on historic work undertaken by ACCAN this theme will focus on the development of policy proposals to improve the digital inclusion of consumers regardless of where they live.

Frontiers in technology facilitated consumer harm

This theme will focus on emerging issues and trends in the use of communications technologies to cause consumer harm. The intent of this theme is to identify emerging issues and support the development of forward-looking policy settings.

Building on research undertaken by ACCAN grant recipients this theme will focus on the development of policy principles and settings that limit the use of communications technologies for consumer harm, including coercive and abusive behaviour.

Accessible roadmap

ACCAN is committed to advancing accessibility for all consumers. This theme will focus on progressing the Ideal Accessible Communications Roadmap in partnership with our members and the broader disability sector to deliver a fully accessible communications sector.

Download:  ACCAN Policy Priorities 2023-2472.24 KB

Download:  ACCAN Policy Priorities 2023-24127.94 KB