Key Dates

Next Grant Round:
Applications for funding will open early 2025. 
> Information about our Grants Program

Independent Grants Panel:
Results of the recent EOI will be notified Dec 2024.
> Information about our Panel  

We can help:  grants@accan.org.au
or phone 02 9288 4000

Grants Information

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For World Consumer Rights Day 2020, ACCAN looks at how consumers can do their part to promote sustainability in the telco sector.

Sustainability is an evolving issue for industries around the world. Consumers are increasingly concerned about the way that we produce and consume goods and services, including in the telco sector.

Nearly 90% of Australians now own a mobile phone1. For many of us, they have become the go-to device to keep in touch socially and for work, to take photos, and to navigate from place to place. As mobile phones continue to evolve to include features like foldable screens and multi-lens cameras, it’s worth taking a moment to consider what resources go into making these smart devices.

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The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is proud to support Scams Awareness Week (7–11 November 2022).

Scams Awareness Week is an annual campaign hosted by the ACCC and the Scams Awareness Network, which raises awareness about common scams and offers tips on how people can protect themselves from scammers. This year Scams Awareness Week is about empowering people to learn how to spot a scam and encouraging them to take the time to check whether a communication or offer is real.

ACCAN recently submitted to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Digital Platform Services Inquiry – September 2024 report revisiting general search services issues paper.

The Footscray Legal Community Centre (FCLC) together with ACCAN has released a report entitiled Taking Advantage of Disadvantage: Case studies of refugee and new migrant experiences in the communications market, finding that in many cases telcos are taking advantage of this already disadvantaged and highly vulnerable group.

The University of Sydney

Grant round: 2013

As bushfires continue to burn across the country, a reliable phone service quickly becomes a lifeline.

ACCAN is aware of reports of network outages due to blackouts and power failures in bushfire affected areas. It’s important to know that unless you have a battery back-up, your NBN home phone will not work during a power outage. As a precaution, it is best to have a charged mobile phone that you can use during a power outage.

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In light of rapid increases to the cost of living, the peak body for communications consumers has welcomed new measures announced in this week’s federal budget to improve the affordability of communications services and boost digital inclusion across the nation. The announcements echo calls made by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) to establish a concessional broadband product for households on low incomes.

ACCAN recently submitted to Communications Alliance’s consultation on the C522:2016 Calling Number Display Guideline. The guideline outlines how Carriage Service Providers offer ‘private’ or ‘blocked’ Caller ID’s to consumers.

The University of Melbourne

Grant round: 2013

Grandson helping grandmother find ways to stay connectedStruggling with the cost of your internet or phone service? ACCAN has put together a list of telco offers to help targeted groups stay connected.

As this list only shows offers for targeted groups, there may be alternative products and services out there for general consumers that meet your needs, so it’s also worth comparing plans. To do so, head to an online comparison site, such as WhistleOut or Finder. ACCAN has also prepared a money saving guide with tips to reduce your telco bill.

If you are unable to meet your bills and are in financial hardship, check out ACCAN’s hardship portal for more information on what you can do.

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The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has welcomed an overall fall in complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO). However, considerable increases to complaints about poor mobile coverage and mobile service dropouts (up 9.9% and 6.3% respectively) have concerned the peak body for communications consumers.

Complaints data published today in the TIO’s 2021-22 Annual Report shows that there were 79,534 complaints received in the last financial year; a decrease of 33.4% compared to the 2020-21 report. This is the lowest volume of complaints received by the TIO in over three years and the largest percentage reduction in over a decade.

ACCAN recently submitted to the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) consultation on its compliance priorities for 2024–25. ACCAN has identified several areas the ACMA should consider when developing its compliance priorities for 2024-25. These areas include:

Albury Wodonga Volunteer Resource Bureau

Grant round: 2012

Brick building with EMERGENCY sign

When disaster strikes, you want to be able to call for help. As Australia makes the switch to the NBN, it’s important to know that traditional methods of connecting to emergency services may not work.

In the event of a power outage, phone and internet services provided over the NBN network will not work. This will also affect any medical alarms or security alarms that you may have which connect through the NBN.

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As Australian households increasingly feel the impact of higher costs of living, new research by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) conducted in April has revealed that 90% of Australians think that telcos should provide an affordable internet plan as standard so that everyone can remain connected.


A nationally representative survey of nearly 1,000 Australians conducted by the peak body for communications consumers also found that more than 80% (82%) view a home internet connection as essential. At the same time, more than a quarter (27%) say their phone and internet costs are unaffordable.

ACCAN recently submitted to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts on the Fighting SMS Scams – What type of SMS sender ID registry should be introduced in Australia? consultation paper.

ACCAN supports the development of a SMS sender ID registry as a significant step towards improving outcomes for telecommunications consumers impacted by scams. ACCAN considers that the SMS sender ID registry should be mandatory and be developed and implemented before the end of 2024.

University of Melbourne

Dr Bjorn Nansen, Dr Rowan Wilken, Dr Michael Arnold, Dr Martin Gibbs

Grant round: 2011 

What media reforms are proposed in the Green Paper?

Spectrum reform

The key reform proposal relates to technical changes in the way broadcasting content might be delivered. Australian broadcast television is delivered using ‘spectrum’, and there is only a finite amount of spectrum available. Currently, all of the available spectrum is being used for free-to-air television broadcasting.

However, new digital broadcasting technology means less spectrum can now be used to deliver the same broadcasting services. The Government would like television broadcasters to work together to use less spectrum because:

  • If enough broadcasters agree to broadcast on less spectrum, there will be more free spectrum available to be used for other purposes. One of these potential purposes is to reallocate that spectrum to improve telecommunications networks in currently underserviced areas.

  • Because the amount of spectrum available is finite, it is a valuable asset. The Government could auction off this spectrum for a profit, which it says could then be re-invested. A fund could be established to support more regional news and more Australian drama, documentary and children’s content.

  • For example, the profit could be invested in more local news services in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia, and/or local television and film content production. The Green Paper doesn’t specify how much of the profit would be invested in local and regional news, or Australian content production.

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Better Basics is the theme for the 2022 Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) conference which is to be held online on September 14. The aim of this year’s conference is to outline some of the key issues that are of continuing importance to consumers, and to highlight the work being done by consumer advocates, industry, regulators, and politicians to improve the communications sector and get the basics right for consumers.  

At a time when being connected to communications services is so crucial to everyday life, the reliability of services is essential. Conference delegates will hear from industry experts about measures they’re undertaking to ensure that consumers have reliable access to broadband, mobile and landline services, no matter where they live in Australia.

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:

Market Clarity Pty Ltd

Grant round: 2012

Background

Eye peering through a keyhole in cloud

In March 2018 it was revealed that the data firm, Cambridge Analytica, gained unauthorised access to almost 87 million (primarily United States) Facebook users’ data. Also implicated was Cambridge Analytica’s British counterpart, Strategic Communication Laboratories.

Facebook users’ data was harvested through the two data firms through a personality-quiz app created by Cambridge psychology professor, Aleksandr Kogan, named “This Is Your Digital Life”. Facebook confirmed that only 270,000 Facebook users downloaded Kogan’s app, but Facebook has not yet refuted claims that up to 87 million users’ data had been accessed. During this time, when Facebook users downloaded apps connected to their Facebook accounts, they also exposed data from many of their friends to the app developer, hence, the large estimated number of users affected.

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Home broadband services have become increasingly expensive and are out of reach for many households facing cost of living pressures. Furthermore, issues with reliability remain a key frustration for many Australians. The experience of the pandemic has taught us that broadband is an essential service which should be available and reliable to all.

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is urging the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) to reject the NBN’s latest proposal to vary its Special Access Undertaking (SAU) due to concerns with pricing, along with a lack of service quality framework. The SAU is a key part of NBN’s regulatory framework that governs the prices NBN is allowed to charge for the services it supplies to phone and internet retailers.

ACCAN recently responded to the Department of Home Affairs’ 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy: Legislative Reforms Consultation Paper (the Consultation Paper).

ACCAN supports the legislative reforms introduced by the Consultation Paper to address the gaps in the current regulatory framework. These reforms include:

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