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ACCAN recently responded to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) public inquiry into the declaration of the domestic transmission capacity service, fixed line services and domestic mobile terminating access service discussion paper (the discussion paper).

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ACCAN’s purpose, as outlined in our Strategic Plan, is to work for “communications services that are trusted, inclusive, accessible and available for all.”

Our approach to priorities

ACCAN has revised the way in which we approach our policy priorities, in consultation with our members. Feedback from members supported a movement to setting out our enduring priorities, which reflect our long-term areas of policy focus, and more immediate proactive areas of policy focus or policy themes.

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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.

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The Australian Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) welcomes the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) position paper for the telecommunications sector, What consumers want – Consumer expectations for telecommunications safeguards, released today.

The ACMA’s position paper reflects ACCAN’s view that telecommunications safeguards arising from the TCP Code are not delivering for consumers in many essential areas.

‘The ACMA’s position paper is reflective of a growing consensus that existing consumer protection arrangements are not fit-for-purpose.’ said ACCAN CEO Andrew Williams.

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ACCAN recently submitted to Communications Alliance’s scheduled review on C564:2020 Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment Industry Code.

ACCAN endorses the Code as drafted and supports reconfirming the Code, which sets out the technical procedures for involving communities in the planning, installing, and operation of mobile phone base stations.

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ACCAN recently made a submission to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts’ 2022 Review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (the Transport Standards). This submission was developed in consultation with our members, including Deafness Forum of Australia and Blind Citizens Australia (BCA).

Additionally, ACCAN supported the recommendations made in BCA’s submission to the review of the Transport Standards. 

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Deaf Australia

Since publication of the ‘What Standards?’ Auslan translation guidelines in 2015, the NDIS and pandemic have significantly reshaped Auslan user needs. This project will evaluate and update these guidelines by reviewing current usage and compliance across Australia, improving guidelines for Deafblind consumers, and incorporating emerging Auslan-first products, often viewed as a better alternative to translations. Ultimately, the findings will provide Auslan translation guidelines for current and foreseeable requirements, deeper consideration of Deafblind needs, and an understanding of when Auslan-first products should be produced instead of Auslan translations.

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Center For Accessibility Australia

This project was funded by ACCAN to explore the issues raised with CFA Australia by people with disability regarding the difficulty in cancelling mobile phone plans. To identify potential issues in cancelling plans provided by SIM providers, a comprehensive assessment was taken of 44 SIM providers in relation to user testing and conformance against the WCAG 2.2 standard.

The results identified that there are currently (at the time of publication) no telco apps or websites that completely support people who are blind or have low vision, and a very low number of apps that can completely support people that are deaf or hard of hearing in cancelling their plans. All apps or websites had some form of accessibility support for people that have a cognitive disability, but none of the apps were entirely accessible across the board. People who are blind or have low vision face an additional challenge in that there were accessibly issues with both using their preferred assistive technologies such as screen readers, and accessibility issues with the app or website itself not conforming to WCAG standards.

While all SIM providers have room for improvement, it is encouraging that there are some leaders in this area and providers are encouraged to look at the accessibility and service offerings of companies that provide effective support in this space to provide broader improvements going forward. The data table for all 44 SIM providers in Appendix A is published on the CFAA projects page. Training support to SIM providers is included as part of this project to support the improvement and awareness of digital access processes.

See the CFAA projects page for their suite of reports: 

  • Cancellations for All main report
  • Cancellations for All supporting document (a guide to the audit results for each telco)
  • User Efficiency Table (provides a 'traffic light' system for the accessibility of each telco app)
  • Cancellations for All companion report (looks at the accessibility of telco plan sign up processes)

 

This work is part of a series looking at accessibility for people with disabilities, and includes Telcos for All which was also funded by an ACCAN grant, in 2020.

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Griffith University

While cybersecurity self-help advice is readily available to consumers, most resources are focused on preventing unintended sharing of devices, passwords, accounts, and personal information. This advice is ill-suited to intimate relationship contexts where sharing is common. A lack of baseline knowledge about smartphone-sharing practices and the reasons behind them has hampered Australian efforts to strengthen consumer cybersecurity. This project will create a new evidence base to understand everyday consumer smartphone sharing in intimate relationships using a survey and interviews with diverse consumers, to improve privacy protections and cybersecurity for all Australians.

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Western Sydney University

Indigenous people in Western Sydney are experiencing digital divide. This interdisciplinary project will co-design with an Indigenous scholar and will be overseen by an Indigenous Research Governance Committee. By building on established relationships with Indigenous residents in Western Sydney, the project will provide needed data on Indigenous digital exclusion in Western Sydney and will provide Indigenous co-designed recommendations for closing the digital gap.

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Deakin University

This project will explore how communication is defined and implications for reforms to the laws of information privacy, telecommunications surveillance, and digital markets. The team will conduct focus groups with diverse communities to enhance consumer advocacy and representation in submissions to proposed reforms and improve consumer protections.

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Digital Literacy Foundation

Working towards universal digital inclusion is critical. In partnership with local Council and community organisations, this project will operate locally-based, face-to-face digital mentoring services for people in the Hawkesbury region. Workshops will build on a successful pilot program focused on increasing consumers’ access to online information, communications products, and services.

With many services digitised, older Hawkesbury residents are increasingly isolated, as the region’s rivers, bushland, unsealed roads, and devastation following fires (2019) and multiple floods (2022) has reduced access to physical services. The Hawkesbury region has a higher proportion of 50 to 84-year-olds than Greater Sydney (Census 2021), a group which, according to the Australian Digital Inclusion Index, are more likely to experience digital exclusion. The program aims to improve access to communication channels with community, family and government, including telehealth, and provide opportunities for increased social connectedness, and participation in online social and economic activities.

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