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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The Federal Court’s decision on Friday to impose a total of $15.75 million penalties for contraventions of the Spam Act 2003 is a significant victory for communications consumers, said ACCAN, Australia’s peak communications consumer organisation.

Allan Asher, CEO of ACCAN, congratulated the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) on taking a strong stance in its first court action against unsolicited SMS messages.

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National telecommunications watchdog, ACCAN is calling for the introduction of a consumer compensation payment for consumers who have experienced the hassle and inconvenience of using the TIO to resolve basic disputes.

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Broadband pricing should be monitored to ensure that consumers do not pay more for services under the transition to the National Broadband Network, according to the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network.

The telecommunications watchdog made the recommendation to the Senate Inquiry into the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Consumer and Competition Safeguards) Bill 2009, in Melbourne today.

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One third of consumers have fallen victim to Cybercrime or Personal Identity theft, according to the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN).

New research into consumer awareness of E-security was presented today at the Inquiry into Cybercrime, highlighting the need for a more co-ordinated, rigorous approach to E-security measures for Australian consumers.

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Peak consumer advocacy group ACCAN says the woeful state of the telecommunications industry, with its sky-high customer service and complaint handling problems, could be greatly improved if regulators and government put consumer rights at the centre of communications policy.

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The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) says it is extremely concerned that a major Telstra mail-out bungle has resulted in a breach of privacy of some 220,000 customers including 23,500 silent-line customers and is calling on the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) to commence a major investigation into the issue.

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The board of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is pleased to announce the appointment of Teresa Corbin as the peak communications’ body new Chief Executive. Ms Corbin is currently Acting CEO at ACCAN and will move immediately into the new role.

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A new report into communications-related privacy complaints has found there are vast differences in complaint resolution times, remedies and compensation available to consumers, depending on which of the three statutory bodies you lodge a complaint with.

 

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Media reports that Telstra will put in place an “app cap” to cut off smartphone users’ internet access once they’ve reached their data allowance limit are not yet a reality, according to consumer group ACCAN.

The telco giant is yet to decide whether or not they will allow their customers to nominate a maximum spend to help them avoid bill shock, says ACCAN.

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Peak telecommunications consumer advocacy group the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network says regardless of which party wins the Federal Election on August 21, what consumers really want to know is how each party will deliver affordable, accessible broadband services that meet the requirements of Australians into the future.

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The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is writing to federal, state and territory disability ministers today along with state and territory premiers and chief ministers urging them to adopt six key actions from its report Communications for All: the Role of the National Disability Strategy.

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ACCAN welcomes today’s release of the Australian Government Web Accessibility National Transition Strategy by the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Lindsay Tanner, and Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, Bill Shorten.

The Strategy outlines the steps that need to be taken to ensure all government web sites are compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 to its second highest AA level by 2015.