William Tibben (University of Wollongong) and Gunela Astbrink (GSA Information Consultants)

Grant round: 2011 

University of Melbourne

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

Grant round: 2011 

Footscray Community Legal Centre

Grant round: 2011

In establishing ACCAN in 2009, the government committed to conduct a performance review after two years of operation. ACCAN welcomes this Mid-Term Review as it provides a valuable opportunity to examine and improve on the important representation, advocacy, research and grants work we undertake.
 

ACCAN has provided its comment in response to the Communication Alliance's release of the Draft Telecommunications Consumer Protection (TCP) Code.

New research demonstrates that the Australian Communications and Media Authority's plan to make mobile calls to freephone (1800) numbers free and local rate (13/1300) numbers cost 22 cents is in the best interest of consumers.

The improved measures in the draft Mobile Premium Services (MPS) Code are a step in the right direction for consumers but new Code rules are weakened by the Code’s weak approach to compliance monitoring and enforcement.

Please join us at a special event being held for our members to celebrate the first two years of Australia’s peak consumer body representing communications consumer. 

The members’ event will begin immediately after our AGM, commencing at 2pm.

The telco industry had more than 197,000 new complaints from its customers lodged with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman in the last financial year, representing a 17.8% increase on the previous year’s result and making this the highest number of complaints on record.

The top three issues for consumers were again customer service, complaint handling, and billing and payments.

“The telco industry has scored another ‘F’ this year for customer service and complaint handling for failing to address its customers' problems in a timely manner,” ACCAN Chief Executive Officer Teresa Corbin said today.

Payphones are an important public resource. Further to our submission on the Consumer Safeguard Instruments for payphone repairs, removals and installations, we ask the ACMA to keep rigorous records so we know what kind of problems people are encountering with payphones.

ACCAN's submission to the Convergence Review highlights three key issues for reform: telecommunications co-regulation - also known as the smurfberry problem; moving from voice-centric to connectivity-centric regulation; and strengthening accessibility standards in broadcasting.