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The summary below outlines ACCAN's activities from 1 September 2016 to 30 November 2016.
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The summary below outlines ACCAN's activities from 1 June, 2016 to 31 August, 2016.
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The summary below outlines ACCAN's activities from 1 March 2016 to 31 May 2016.
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The summary below outlines ACCAN's activities from 1 December 2015 to 29 February 2016.
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The summary below outlines ACCAN’s activities from 1 September to 30 November 2015.
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2023-24 Annual Report
CEO Report, Carol Bennett
I am pleased to present ACCAN’s Annual Report for 2023-24.
When I commenced as CEO of ACCAN in early July this year, my focus was on contributing to the national effort to improve access, affordability and functionality of communications for all Australians. No small task, but I am pleased to say ACCAN has continued its outstanding work in support of equitable access to fundamental services that enable Australians to build and sustain social connections, work productivity, health and safety. It’s hard to imagine a more important area when it comes to improving quality of life for consumers.
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The Strategic Plan provides insights into ACCAN’s mission, values and strategic goals. The plan will direct the organisation’s work for the next three (3) years and sets out how ACCAN will achieve its vision of trusted, accessible, inclusive, affordable and available communications and digital services for all Australians.
Download: 
ACCAN Strategic Plan 2025-2027252.61 KB
Download: 
ACCAN Strategic Plan 2025-202784.17 KB
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Through our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), ACCAN aims to:
- build and maintain positive relationships and partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities;
- ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members and/or employees of ACCAN are valued for their unique perspectives and experiences;
- support story telling as a culturally important form of communication for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;
- assist in reducing the digital divide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;
- demonstrate culturally safe engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
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The purpose of the Members Advisory Forum (MAF) is to discuss the most important issues from the perspective of ACCAN's members and the people they represent, with a view to incorporating these into ACCAN's work priorities.
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Executive
Carol Bennett, Chief Executive Officer
As CEO, Carol oversees all of ACCAN's work and operations. She is a highly respected leader with a strong track record of delivering positive change for consumers and communities in all her previous CEO roles. She has outstanding expertise in strategic decision-making, communications, advocacy, stakeholder management, financial performance, collaboration building, government relations and corporate governance.
Carol has held senior executive and board positions with national peak bodies in the health sector. Most recently, she was CEO of the Alliance for Gambling Reform from 2021 until commencing at ACCAN in mid-2024.
Gareth Downing, Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Gareth oversees a team responsible for ACCAN’s policy work, community engagement and membership. His career has focused on policy and regulation and he has worked on policy across a number of regulated sectors including telecommunications, energy and water. Gareth is committed to advancing consumer’s interest through his leadership of ACCAN’s policy team.
Gareth has previously sat on the ACCAN board, and prior to that worked for ACCAN in the role of Senior Policy Analyst providing advice on a wide range of policy, economic regulation and pricing matters. Gareth holds tertiary qualifications in policy, economics and law.
Yuriko Hoshi, Business Manager
Yuriko is responsible for overseeing all financial activities and the office operations. She was appointed to the position of Company Secretary in 2013. She is a member of CPA Australia and holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting from Macquarie University.
Staff
Alec Bennetts
Alec Bennetts is ACCAN's Media and Communications Officer. He oversees external ACCAN communications, including media releases, newsletters, website content, and member communications, and ensures ACCAN is well-represented in national and local media. Alec has previously worked in policy research and political communications. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney.
Elise Ackland
Elise has always had a keen interest in technology and harnessing its potential, particularly for people with disabilities and seniors. Living with a physical disability herself, Elise uses that lived experience and her keen interest in technology to empower people, encouraging them to seek out positive ways for assistive technology to enhance and support their lives.
Elise’s knowledge and skills have been built up over decades of experience supporting Australians with internet access, assistive technologies, and communications devices. Her career has included supporting Australians with the switchover to digital TV, the rollout of digital radio, assisting people with different abilities to get online, and more recently in the nonprofit sector, training volunteer cancer survivors to use virtual meeting technology to share their important stories with Australian medical schools.
The Accessible Telecoms project is a great fit to share her skills and knowledge with people who may be struggling to keep up with the advancements in telecommunications and assistive technology.
Con Gouskos
Con Gouskos leads ACCAN’s work on telecommunications consumer protections. Con regularly engages with financial counsellors and community legal centres concerning telecommunications consumer protections. Con holds a degree in International Studies from the University of New South Wales and a Certificate IV in Government from TAFE. He is currently working towards a Master of Administrative Law and Policy at the University of Sydney.
David Hack
David is a graduate policy and research officer working in ACCAN’s policy team to advocate on communications issues and provide coordination assistance for ACCAN’s grants program and commissioned research. David holds a Bachelor of Information Communication Technology from Western Sydney University and previously worked in the IT sector before an interest in economics and policy led to further studies in that field. He holds a graduate certificate in behavioural economics and will soon complete a Masters in Behavioural Economics from the University of Technology Sydney.
Sam Kininmonth
Sam Kininmonth leads the ACCAN policy team’s research work and engagement with the research sector. An experienced consumer advocate, Sam previously worked as a lecturer at the University of Melbourne and RMIT University. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Swinburne University of Technology and a Bachelor of Communication (Distinction) from RMIT University. Sam is completing a PhD on digital media and automation in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society at RMIT University.
Kelly Lindsay
Kelly leads the ACCAN policy team’s consumer engagement and outreach. She is responsible for building and managing relationships with a diverse range of consumer stakeholders and members. An experienced advocate at ACCAN, Kelly previously worked for the Queensland Government in areas of project coordination and stakeholder management in the built asset environment. Kelly is an Individual Member of IAP2 Australasia.
Rebekah Palmer
Rebekah Palmer is ACCAN's Communications and Policy Officer, leading social media and marketing efforts while supporting the organisation's communications strategy. She also contributes to the policy team, focusing on consumer protections. Rebekah holds a Bachelor of Communications (Honours) from the University of Technology Sydney.
Dr Amelia Radke
Dr Amelia Radke leads ACCAN's work on digital inclusion, with a particular focus on issues relating to the affordability and accessibility of services for First Nations Australians, regional, rural, and remote Australia, and vulnerable consumers. She has extensive experience in policy and research both in academic and non-government settings. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in anthropology and a PhD in legal anthropology from the University of Queensland.
Audrey Reoch
Audrey Isadora Reoch is Director of Economic Regulation and leads ACCAN’s engagement with NBN Co on their proposed expenditure, revenue, pricing and service levels for broadband services. Audrey has worked across several fields in infrastructure and regulatory economics through her work at ACCAN and the federal infrastructure and communications departments, where she represented Australia in the Universal Postal Union and International Telecommunication Union. She holds an MA in Social and Political Thought from the University of Sussex and an Honours Degree in Political Economy from the University of Sydney.
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Australian Communications Consumer Action Network
PO Box A1158
Sydney South, NSW 1235
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As part of its consultation strategy, ACCAN has four Standing Advisory Forums. The four Standing Advisory Forums have replaced the previous Standing Advisory Committees that made up ACCAN's consultation framework – the Standing Advisory Committee on Consumer Affairs (SACCA) and the Standing Advisory Committee on Disability Issues (SACDI).
The new framework commenced in 2015 and will see each Advisory Forum meet annually. Additionally, where there are specific issues which require consultation, the ACCAN CEO may form Expert Advisory Committees.
- The Members Advisory Forum will focus across all the areas of ACCAN's activity and policy work.
- The Disability Advisory Forum will address issues regarding accessibility and suitability of communications services and products for Australians living with a disability.
- The Indigenous Advisory Forum focuses on Indigenous communications issues and suitability of communications services and products for Indigenous consumers.
- The Small Business Advisory Forum will work to ensure that the voice of small business consumers is heard in the telecommunications industry.