ACCAN believes the Do Not Call Register has been an important tool in protecting consumers from receiving unsolicited telemarketing calls and faxes. However, with approximately 9 million registered numbers and on average approximately 1 million new numbers registered every year, we believe it is time to redesign the Register and align it with the Spam Act 2003.

The preference of the majority of Australians to not be contacted by telemarketers is evident in the high number of registrations and only 2 per cent of survey respondents indicating they enjoy receiving unsolicited marketing information. These figures are indicative of a public which places great importance on the privacy of its phone numbers and has little interest in them being used for general marketing purposes. As such, we believe it is an opportune time to shift from an opt-out to an opt-in scheme for receiving telemarketing.

Submitted to: Department of Communications

Status: Submitted

See ACCAN news story: How to hang up on telemarketers for good

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