Industry lobby, Communications Alliance, has proposed a number of changes to the Telecommunications Consumer Protection Code compliance regime. ACCAN believes the changes may lead to a number of positive changes which should both improve the efficiency of Communications Compliance and provide greater flexibility to smaller suppliers. However, we encouraged the industry group take further steps to address the lack of a publically available, useful performance metrics.

Read more: TCP Code Compliance Reform

Easy English focuses on presenting key information rather than all the detail. Words are combined with images to enhance the message for the reader. Ideally, reading an Easy English document is a shared activity between the reader and another person, such as a friend, a family member or support person.

ACCAN has produced the following guides in Easy English.

Read more: Information in Easy English

Download: Universal Service Obligation (USO) tip sheet23.95 KB

Download: Universal Service Obligation (USO) tip sheet2.63 MB

What is the telco Universal Service Obligation (USO)?

It means that you have the right to a standard fixed landline phone service provided by Telstra, regardless of where you live or work.

Read more: Universal Service Obligation (USO)

Throughout our lives, we accumulate a variety of assets. In the past, these have traditionally included things such as houses, cars, finances and other tangible possessions. These assets are considered when drawing up a will in the event of our passing.

Read more: How to prepare your digital legacy

In a project funded by ACCAN, researchers at The University of Sydney analysed 61 top-rated mental health apps available to Australian consumers.

Mental health apps commonly collected consumer data, requested that consumers make in-app purchases, and made health claims. Although this is normal in the app world, we thought, “How would this stand up in the real world?”

Read more: Navigating mental health apps

Do you sometimes act as a ‘proxy internet user’ – where you use online services and applications on behalf of someone else who otherwise makes limited use of the internet? Proxy internet assistance often takes place within families – notably elderly parents being helped by their adult children. Other proxy users include people acting in a professional capacity – for example carers, social workers and other public-facing professionals who assist clients with specific online tasks.

Read more: Using the internet on behalf of others

This tip sheet can help you complain about communciations privacy issues such as spam emails, telemarketing and privacy breaches. It can also help you to make complaints about privacy issues with social media websites like Facebook and services that track your location, such as Google Maps.

What is a privacy complaint?

Australian consumers have the right to make complaints about privacy issues. Privacy issues in the communications sector are becoming more common as we share more information online than ever before. These add to existing privacy issues relating to communications such as spam (unwanted emails from companies and organisations), telemarketing calls and the misuse of silent telephone numbers and personal information.

Read more: Privacy complaints: who can you turn to?

Download: How to avoid 1800 number call charges on mobiles53 KB

Download: How to avoid 1800 number call charges on mobiles336.76 KB

Most Australian mobile providers (but not all) now offer free calls to 1800 numbers. Below is a list of providers that offer these calls for free.

Read more: How to avoid 1800 number call charges on mobiles

Download: How to avoid directory assistance call charges64.5 KB

Download: How to avoid directory assistance call charges443.87 KB

Did you know that calls to Directory Assistance 1223 and other directory phone numbers may not be free of charge from your mobile or landline phone? Sometimes these calls are charged outside of your included plan value, so you may receive extra charges on your bill from calling these numbers.

Whenever possible, you should avoid calling directory assistance numbers and instead use one of the alternatives listed below.

Read more: How to avoid directory assistance call charges