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IN THE NEWS: New DFV protections for consumers announced, consumer advocates heap pressure on scams prevention package, and NBN to remain in public hands under bill before Parliament
CEO MESSAGE: This week, ACCAN Deputy CEO Dr Gareth Downing and I are joining parliamentarians from around the country in Canberra for a busy sitting week.
There have been several key developments in our sector over the last week.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth announced that communications consumers facing domestic and family violence (DFV) would receive new and improved protections through direct regulation. This is an outcome ACCAN and other consumer groups have been pushing for several years. As the Ministers’ made clear in their joint media release, the TCP Code has proven to be an ‘ineffective solution to establish necessary protections in an appropriate timeframe’, and thus, the directly regulated safeguards are necessary. We will continue to work with the ACMA and industry to ensure the final shape of the Standard reflects the best interests of consumers.
On Wednesday, Minister Rowland and the Prime Minister introduced and debated a Bill that would keep the NBN in public ownership. Under current legislation, there is a multi-step pathway to sell-off the NBN. If this Bill is passed, future governments would have to repeal it before any move to privatise can begin – it makes the process harder and will attract greater scrutiny. The NBN in public hands provides ongoing certainty that will ensure Australians economic and social wellbeing for years to come. We welcomed this move in a press release on Wednesday.
Alongside other consumer groups, we are supporting a presumption of reimbursement approach to the scams legislation. We joined with a number of consumer groups in a roundtable with Senator David Pocock to review the limitations and strengths of the legislation as parliamentarians consider their response to the draft Bill. Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Steph Tonkin incisively summed up our collective position in an excellent opinion piece earlier in the week.
While in Canberra, we are meeting with parliamentarians and events during three busy days before the final sitting period of the year.
I hope you enjoy this edition of WebNews.
Carol Bennett
Chief Executive Officer
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Minister Rowland this week announced that she will direct the ACMA to establish an industry standard to provide stronger protections for consumers facing domestic and family violence (DFV). This decision follows years of advocacy from ACCAN and others in the community sector, urging more robust protections about the use of telecommunications services by DFV victims, and the misuse of technology by DFV perpetrators. Through media releases, policy submissions and much consultation with consumers, we have called for protections that ensure telcos act responsibly when dealing with vulnerable customers. This announcement is a huge step forward, as we made clear in a media release on Tuesday, but there is more work to be done to shape the final Standard in a way which most benefits consumers. [ITWire]
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A broad coalition of consumer advocates is calling for the Albanese Government to make a fundamental change to the proposed Scams Prevention Framework (SPF) placing reimbursement at its core and warning that without this improvement, the SPF is not going to work for the tens of thousands of Australians defrauded by scammers. ACCAN is participating strongly in this advocacy, with CEO Carol Bennett recently arguing the case for reimbursement in the Canberra Times, and a submission to Treasury making strong recommendations to presume reimbursement for scam victims unless proven otherwise. [ABC]
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This week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland introduced legislation to parliament that will make it harder to sell-off the NBN. From a consumer perspective, this is a welcome move. Australian taxpayers have outlaid around $60 billion to build the NBN, and this change will ensure the public interest remains front and centre as we all reap the benefits of fast and reliable broadband. Debate on the Bill is set to continue this week. [ACCAN]
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Our CEO (Carol Bennett) and Deputy CEO (Dr Gareth Downing) have been in Canberra this week, meeting with MPs, members and stakeholders. Meeting with Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh, they discussed the need for a reliable comparison tool for phone and internet products and how policymakers can drive greater competition within the telco market. Noteworthy is Carol and Gareth’s appearance before a Senate inquiry into the Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation Bill following our submission - linked above. [ACCAN]
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Good Things Australia has released an important report revealing almost half a billion dollars in annual benefits could be gained by closing Australia’s digital divide for people who are most highly excluded. The ‘Economic Benefits of Overcoming Digital Exclusion’ report is an Australian-first, providing an in-depth assessment of the impact that digital exclusion has on the Australian economy and the benefits that overcoming digital exclusion could have on individuals and society as a whole. ACCAN were delighted to attend the public launch in Canberra on Thursday morning. We should invest strongly in training and support for the digitally excluded to see significant economic benefits. [Good Things Australia]
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ACCAN is in attendance at the Wesnet Technology Safety Summit this week. The Summit is Australia's only national conference on technology and violence against women and an important opportunity to hear about misuse of technology and frontiers of consumer harm from speakers with individual, industry, community and academic experience. More information can be found at the link above, including how to purchase recordings of select sessions. [Wesnet]
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The Federal Court has upheld a $610,500 fine placed by the eSafety Commissioner on Elon Musk’s X, after it failed to cooperate with information requests about steps it has taken to counter child sexual exploitation material. X had argued it didn’t need to comply with the requests after a corporate restructure – an argument rejected by the Court. This is the latest in a series of spats between the eSafety Commissioner and X. Earlier this year, a different dispute prompted Elon Musk to fire a broadside about eSafety to his 200 million followers (pictured). [ITNews]
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Accessible mobile communications are important for everyone – and that’s why ACCAN was proud to support Consumers Federation of Australia (CFA) in the ‘Cancellations for All’ project earlier this year. The project was launched to support people with disability, their families, and carers over accessibility issues in the telecommunications sector regarding the cancellation of mobile services.
The companion report outlines additional issues that are important to accessibility for all, including items such as identification requirements, early activation, and postal address accuracy. Read the report at the link above. [Centre for Accessibility]
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The ACCAN Board is inviting Expressions of Interest from experienced individuals interested in serving on ACCAN’s Independent Grants Panel. There are currently two vacancies on the Panel. The Grants Panel assesses applications for funding received to ACCAN’s annual grants round and are an important part of the independence and rigour of the Program. Interest from candidates with experience in the community sector and/or current research knowledge of the social impact of digital platforms is particularly encouraged. Expressions of Interest must be received by 5pm (AEDT) Friday 11 October 2024. For more information, including selection criteria, please visit the link above. [ACCAN]
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WebNews #678
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Tel: (02) 9288 4000
Email: media@accan.org.au
If you are Deaf, or have a hearing impairment or speech impairment, you can contact us on 02 9288 4000 through your preferred National Relay Service call number or access point.
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