Media Releases

ACCAN's work informs public debate about consumer issues in the communications landscape.  Welcome to our collection of the latest news and current affairs that impact communications consumers. 

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Millions of Australian households will remain protected from unwanted telemarketing calls, thanks to a proposed last minute change to the Do Not Call Register, ACCAN Australia’s peak communications consumer organisation said today.

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ACCAN, the national peak communications consumer organisation commends today’s Federal Government’s decision to make all government web sites compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 to its second highest AA level by 2015.

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Australia has the potential to be a leader in harnessing the technologies of the National Broadband Network to benefit consumers with disabilities, ACCAN Australia’s peak communications consumer organisation said today.

A new international study commissioned by ACCAN reports on 16 high-speed broadband applications that can provide enormous benefits to people with disabilities.

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ACCAN the national communications consumer peak organisation today announced Robin Banks, Kate Cornick and Dr Tim Dwyer as members of its Independent Grants Panel.

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Millions of Australian households are set to lose protections against telemarketing calls and have their privacy shattered unless urgent changes are made to the Do Not Call Register, ACCAN Australia’s peak communications consumer organisation said today.

“The flood gates to intrusive and unwanted telemarketing calls are about to open for millions of people who are unaware that their telephone number is about to be kicked off the Do Not Call Register”, said Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) CEO Allan Asher.

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Any agreement between Telstra and the NBN Co must be exposed to public scrutiny and doesn’t remove the need for the structural separation of Telstra, said ACCAN, Australia’s peak communications consumer organisation.

ACCAN CEO Allan Asher said the whole country had a stake in the future of the broadband network.
“The community has lost its confidence in Telstra, so an agreement that isn’t explicit, that doesn’t tie Telstra into definite time frames and that doesn’t have a clear schedule for reducing Telstra market dominance, won’t be accepted by the community.

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ACCAN, Australia’s peak communications consumer organisation congratulated the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) on its second successful outcome against unsolicited SMS with the Federal Court yesterday imposing a further $6.5 million in penalties against spammers.

“It is only through strong and decisive action such as ACMA’s to use the full extent of its authority and power that consumers can be assured their rights will be protected,” CEO of ACCAN, Allan Asher said.

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ACCAN has a new a chair, Sue Salthouse was elected to the position at a recent ACCAN board meeting at which Kate Locke was elected Deputy Chair, Len Bytheway, Treasurer and Nan Bosler, Secretary.

New Chair, Sue Salthouse has been a member of the ACCAN Board since its inception and was also a member of the working group that formed the organisation.

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ACCAN has called for accessibility measures to be built into the federal government’s online platforms, interactive web sites and its information technology procurement policy.

ACCAN made the call as the federal government released its Access to Electronic Media for the Hearing and Vision Impaired: Approaches for Consideration discussion report which seeks public consultation to improve access to electronic media for people with hearing and vision impairments.

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ACCAN today welcomed five new members to its Board. Professor Michael Fraser, Dr Ross Kelso, Ms Heron Loban, Ms Kate Locke and Ms Su Robertson were elected at ACCAN’s Annual General Meeting yesterday.

“I am confident the new members of the Board will provide insightful direction and effective strategic guidance and stewardship in steering the organisation in its role of strong advocate for communications consumers,” Allan Asher, CEO of ACCAN said.

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ACCAN, the communications watchdog, today welcomed the decision by Telstra to reverse its policy of charging customers who pay bill over-the-counter a $2.20 fee.

ACCAN launched a campaign highlighting the unfairness of the charge, calling on Telstra instead to offer incentives for those paying by lower cost methods rather than penalising its traditional customer base.

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ACCAN provides a strong unified voice to industry and government as consumers work towards availability, accessibility and affordability of communications services for all Australians. To ensure that we are representative of all consumers, the ACCAN Board has established two Standing Advisory Committees including the Standing Advisory Committee on Consumer Affairs (SACCA) and the Standing Advisory Committee Disability Issues (SACDI).