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Welcome to the latest current affairs that impact communications consumers. 

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Transcript of the speech given by ACCAN Chief Executive Teresa Corbin at the CommsDay Melbourne Congress.

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A new report and advocacy toolkit has just been published that calls for better access to affordable and available communications technologies for people with disability as well as a more open opportunity to enter the workplace.

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A reminder to ACCAN members that nominations for Directors to fill six vacancies on the ACCAN Board close at 5pm next Monday 1st October. Newly elected Board members at the 2012 AGM will sit for a two-year term until the Annual General Meeting in 2014.

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In August, the government issued a "request for tender" for the National Relay Service (NRS). The NRS offers a phone solution for people who are Deaf, hearing-impaired or speech-impaired.

The information that follows explains what types of services might be offered to NRS users in the future by the organisation who is successful in winning the government contracts.

View this information in Auslan: YouTube video (external site)

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The ACCAN 2012 National Conference program includes an exciting innovation: a consumer-oriented Technology Expo.  ACCAN’s TEXPO is not the usual trade show, but a targeted, in-depth showcase of carefully selected technologies of interest to a broad range of consumers.

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ACCAN is accepting Expressions of Interest to fill a vacancy on its Independent Grants Panel.  The role of the Panel is to assess eligible applications to the ACCAN Independent Grants Scheme and recommend the strongest to the ACCAN Board for funding.

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Communications Compliance, a newly created industry monitoring body set up to monitor telco compliance with the new Telecommunications Consumer Protection Code, is seeking nominations or recommendations from consumer bodies for a consumer director to sit on its Board. 

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A lively two-day event being held in Alice Springs this Thursday and Friday (26th-27th July) will focus on the unique communications needs of people living and working in remote Australia and how best to deliver them. The event will include representatives from Federal, state and territory governments, NBN Co, members of the Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee, community organisations, researchers and technical specialists.

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Great news! Australia’s first-ever audio described television will be broadcast on ABC1 from August 5 this year. Audio Description (AD) is an additional verbal commentary that complements the existing soundtrack of a program for people who are blind or vision impaired. It is a narration that explains what is happening visually on screen during a television program.

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A stellar line-up of government, industry, regulatory authorities and consumer representatives will share ideas and spark debates at the third annual ACCAN National Conference being held in Sydney on 5th-6th September 2012. 

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Registrations are now open for the third annual ACCAN National Conference being held in Sydney on 5th and 6th September 2012. This year’s theme is Delivering for Consumers. Over two days, delegates will hear about the new competitive environment, following the structural separation of Telstra and the National Broadband Network rollout; regulatory changes to consumer protection; and explore big-picture issues like privacy and financial hardship measures. We’ll also take a look at new and emerging technologies and investigate whether mainstream technologies can deliver for consumers with disability.

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Privacy Awareness Week (29 April – 5 May) is an annual event during which the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities join forces to remind everyone to take steps to protect their own privacy and safeguard personal information about others that they might hold.

“Privacy is recognised in many countries, including Australia, as a human right,” says Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim. “Serious consequences can arise when someone’s privacy is breached and we all have responsibilities to look after the personal information we handle.”

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