This Roundtable will hear about current cyber security issues from leading advocates in the disability sector, as well as discussing industry and government initiatives designed to create a safer online experience. The Roundtable will identify what people with disabilities need to protect themselves online.

Read more: Cyber-Security Roundtable for People with Disabilities

Financial Counselling Australia – get in touch with a Financial Counsellor.

Debt self help tools – try this handy tool kit.

Centrelink emergency payments

Emergency information – The ABC is Australia's official emergency broadcaster and has links to survival planning and other prevention strategies.

Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) – The TIO is a fast, free and fair service that helps resolve telephone and internet complaints.

Financial Rights Legal Centre – some fantastic information to help you find the best help when in debt and how to avoid dodgy credit solutions.

National Children's and Youth Law Centre – a free legal service for people under the age of 25.

Some providers have special deals available for people in special circumstances. Here are the ones we've heard of.

Telstra

InContact

InContact is a free limited service that offers incoming calls but restricts outgoing calls. Telstra customer service, service difficulties and fault numbers can be called.

PhoneAway Card

Telstra's prepaid calling card allows guests to make calls on a pre-paid basis, with the flexibility of being able to use the card from almost anywhere.

Sponsored Access Program

This aims to provide a phone service for people who seek shelter within emergency accommodation (one service only per property).

Telstra Bill Assistance Program

The program is designed to assist specific householders in maintaining access to a telephone service when difficulties arise.

CentrePay

CentrePay is a direct deduction facility offered by Centrelink to customers, who may choose to pay some household bills and other essential services.

Home Phone Budget

Home Phone Budget offers has a line rental plan that provides a relatively lower line rental price than standard services with higher call prices. It is designed for Telstra residential customers with just one fixed line service who make very few calls.

Not being able to get an internet service can be extremely frustrating.

ACCAN has put together these options of broadband services for consumers struggling to get an ADSL internet service.

Note: We have assumed that an average household needs at least 50GB of data a month. Each household is different. An average house using Satellite internet uses 32GB of data a month (April 2017), while an average house using NBN internet uses 160GB a month (March 2017).

Download: Six helpful steps if you cant get a broadband service46.62 KB

Download: Six helpful steps if you cant get a broadband service260.59 KB

Download: ACCAN Magazine Issue 26 Summer 20182.8 MB (Note: reading order not accessible)

Download accessible version: ACCAN Magazine Issue 26 Summer 2018 - accessible version41.03 KB

Last year, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) commissioned research into the quality of live captions on Free-to-Air TV. We commissioned this research after receiving feedback from consumers and our members about the quality of live captions on TV.

Read more: Live Caption Monitoring on Australian Free-to-Air Television

About  |   Episode 1  |   Episode 2  |   Episode 3  |   Episode 4 |   Episode 5  |   Episode 6 

ACCANect Online

ACCANect Online provides a platform for telecommunications consumers to hear from leading voices in the telco sector about the key communications issues that are impacting consumers today and into the future. The new multi-part video series from ACCAN features presentations on the accessibility of communications services, issues relating to regional, rural and remote Australians, and digital inclusion, as well as interviews with ACCAN CEO Teresa Corbin.

Read more about the speakers below.

– Deidre O'Donnell, ACCAN Chairperson

Read more: ACCANect Online

University of Melbourne

This project is an extension of research funded by the Melbourne Social Equity Institute (MSEI), undertaking a survey and focus groups with the residents (representing 39 language groups) of Carlton Public Housing Estate in central Melbourne to analyse their strategies for coping with limited connectivity. The ACCAN grant will be used to conduct one-on-one interviews with 12 residents and provide interpreting services.

Read more: Understanding digital inequality

Australia’s current voluntary, Code-based Internet of Things (IoT) regulatory framework offers consumers minimal protection, and there are limited market-based incentives for Australian IoT device manufacturers to fill this void.

Australian consumers need an enforceable Internet of Things regulatory framework that relieves consumers of sole responsibility for their privacy and security and holds IoT device manufacturers accountable for the operation and outcomes of their products. This statement sets out key areas that ACCAN believes should be improved for an effective Australian Internet of Things regulatory regime.

Read more: Internet of Things

ACCAN is delighted to award Andrew a Life Membership of ACCAN. Andrew has been a life-long champion for people with disabilities, particularly the deaf and hard of hearing.

He has brought that commitment to consumers through his early involvement with ACCAN’s predecessor organisation CTN, and his support for over the years to ACCAN.

He has been an exceptional contributor to ACCAN campaigns and policy work and an outstanding advocate for people with disabilities in a number of CTN and ACCAN fora, and an outstanding advocate on the many committees and panels he has participated in. He brings to ACCAN a wealth of knowledge and experience on people with disabilities, particularly the deaf and hard of hearing that include:

• His involvement in drafting the first disability standard on acoustic coupling;
• His involvement with Print-a-Call and later, establishment of Hearing Connections in the provision of both assistive devices and advice on their use
• His championing the issues of the compatibility of hearing aids with mobile phones and later, of the compatibility of TTYs with the NBN
• His involvement with ACCAN’s Accessible Telecoms Project

ACCAN, its members and so many of the consumers we serve owe a huge debt of gratitude to Andrew for his knowledge, his expertise and his commitment to people with disabilities. We are proud to name Andrew Stewart as a Life Member of ACCAN.

The summary below outlines ACCAN’s activities from 1 September – 30 November 2021

Read more: Quarter 2, FY21-22

CommsDay Forum Speech – 14 June 2023

Andrew Williams – ACCAN CEO

Good afternoon everyone and thanks to Grahame and the Commsday team for the invitation to present to you today.

Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet today. I would also like to pay my respects to Elders past, present, and emerging

It’s been a while since I’ve been up on stage at one of these events

As you no doubt are aware, there’s a lot going on in this space at the moment, so I thought I’d use this time to give you an update on some of the key issues as we see them.

Read more: ACCAN CEO 2023 CommsDay Forum Speech

The Australian Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) welcomes the Minister of Communications, Michelle Rowland’s, decision to direct the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to implement a standard for financial hardship.

“ACCAN strongly supports the Minister for Communications directing the ACMA to make a directly enforceable instrument for safeguarding telco consumers experiencing financial hardship,” said ACCAN CEO, Andrew Williams.

“Establishing substantive protections for telco consumers will support as many as 2.4 million Australians who have had difficulty or struggled to pay a telco bill in the last 12 months,” said Mr. Williams.

Read more: Direct regulation of financial hardship a step in the right direction

Read more: John Engeler

Delegate resources from auDA

ACCAN recently submitted to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (the Department) on the Better Delivery of Universal Services discussion paper (the Consultation). In addition to ACCAN’s responses to the Consultation questions, we further recommended that the Department:

Read more: Better Delivery of Universal Services

Download: How to use less data on your smartphone60.5 KB

Download: How to use less data on your smartphone124.99 KB

Smartphones can chew through your data allowance without you realising it. This can be because data-hungry apps are left open or simply due to default settings on your phone.

It can be very expensive if you go over your monthly data allowance. Our blog post on excess mobile data charges outlines what some of the telcos charge for going over your mobile data allowance.

Read more: How to use less data on your smartphone

Download: Business Continuity Plan61 KB

Download: Business Continuity Plan310.03 KB

What is a 'Business Continuity Plan' (BCP)?

It is a fact of life that emergencies will happen, and computer and communications systems will fail. To minimise the problems for your business it is advisable to have a business continuity plan which:

• Outlines what you have done in advance to prevent interruptions to vital services
  
  
• Lists the steps you and staff will take during an interruption to continue operations
  
  
• Lists the steps you will take to fully restore services after an interruption
  
  
• Sets up a Post Incident Review (PIR) after an interruption has occurred
  
  

Sample BCPs are available on the internet where you will also find sites that have extensive instructions on their construction and implementation.

Read more: Preparing your organisation's Business Continuity Plan

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.

Read more: ACCAN National Conference 2015

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

Everyone should have measures in place to protect themselves online. Here are some useful tips:

1. Use strong passwords
   
   Passwords should be hard to guess but easy to remember. Some things to consider:
   
   
   1. Use long passwords (8-12 characters)
      
      
   2. Use a variety of lower and upper cases, special characters (e.g. $, #, *), and numerals
      
      
   3. Avoid using common names and places.
      
      
2. Keep your devices, application software and operating system up to date.
   
   
3. Secure your home and office Wi-Fi with encryption and a password.
   
   
4. Install a firewall to stop unwanted internet traffic that may be harmful for your computer.
   
   
5. Back up your data regularly.
   
   
6. Do not provide personal or financial information over emails.
   
   
7. Do not open or respond to emails if you do not know the sender.

Download: ACCAN Magazine Issue 25 Spring 2017752.57 KB (Note: reading order not accessible)

Download accessible version: ACCAN Magazine Issue 25 Spring 2017 - accessible version40.05 KB

ACCAN often hears stories from consumers spending hours waiting and trying to resolve problems with telcos (eg on the phone, in shops, or via chat windows). We know that all this time has a value to consumers but what is the cost?

A new report released from ACCAN provides advice on how to estimate the cost of consumer wait time.

Read more: Please hold - costing telco customer wait times