This week, ACCAN Deputy CEO Dr Gareth Downing and I were in Canberra for the second sitting week of the year.
We met with Government, opposition and crossbench MPs and attended the International Institute of Communications Digital Technology and Productivity event
A key goal for our time in Canberra was to promote ACCAN’s new Fairer Future for Communications election platform.
Our Fairer Future call outlines a number of achievable consumer policies which address acute problems Australian consumers face. With an affordability crisis at the forefront of most Australian’s minds, we need to ensure that our policy and regulatory settings provide affordability and quality. We suggest six simple policies to benefit consumers. From a national public Wi-Fi program, to a concessional broadband
product, to mandatory dispute resolution pathways for consumers who have problems with large technology firms, we argue for policies which can be implemented quickly, are supported by the public and will make a difference in the lives of Australians.
Our Fairer Future election platform is now available on our website. I encourage you all to read it and share within your networks.
While in Canberra, we welcomed Communications Minister Michelle Rowland’s introduction of critical consumer protection legislation to Parliament. This long-overdue reform will significantly strengthen the Australian Communication and Media Authority’s (ACMA's) enforcement powers, which have come under recent criticism. Among the key changes are:
- Maximum penalties for telcos breaching the code or putting consumers at risk of harm will increase from $250,000 to nearly $10 million in line with energy and banking sectors.
- Telecommunications codes will become mandatory, ending the ACMA’s ineffective two-step enforcement process.
- A new Carriage Service Provider registration scheme will be introduced.
This is a big step forward for consumers. We urged MPs this week to move swiftly to pass the long-overdue reforms.
Not all legislation in Parliament this week has been of maximum consumer benefit. I contributed to a Consumer Action Law Centre press release about the passage of the Scams Prevention Framework through both houses of Parliament. While this legislation is a step in the right direction, ACCAN and our consumer sector colleagues remain deeply disappointed that the parliament has failed to include compensation provisions or a presumption of reimbursement—a measure that has been highly effective in the UK and removes the need for consumers to carry the additional burden of not only being scammed in the first place, but then trying to prosecute a case (often without access to information) through complex dispute resolution processes.We anticipate this legislation will require continued amendments over time.
And finally, as we go to press, the bill to ensure NBN Co. remains in public hands is expected to go before parliament this week – something ACCAN has championed. We expect it to pass.
We look forward to keeping you updated on all the exciting developments underway in communications policy and reform as they occur.
Thank you for your continued support.
