The Government has today put new legislation before parliament to boost protections for Australian telco consumers.
ACCAN - Australia's peak national communications consumer body - welcomes the legislation as a vital step forward for consumers who have too often been left in the lurch by failures of a regulatory framework that has been largely voluntary, too weak, and poorly enforced.
ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett said that the legislation delivers on multiple areas of significant concern for ACCAN, Australian consumers, and frontline service groups, who have long called for reform to strengthen the powers of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) when it comes to breaches by telcos that place consumers at risk of harm or experiencing significant harm from their actions.
"We thank the government for putting consumers first and listening to calls from advocates and the community sector for action to establish these important consumer protections," Ms Bennett said.
"Communications services are essential to the day-to-day lives of Australians, yet we have recently seen significant failures that have caused harm to many consumers. Regulation of our sector lags behind that of other essential services, such as energy and banking and this legislation will better align telcos with similar industries."
"These changes will help stop 'fly-by-night' telco operators, strengthen enforcement mechanisms, and ensure telcos meet their obligations to customers," Ms Bennett added.
"These reforms will promote accountability, transparency, and compliance within the telecommunications industry, helping to restore consumer trust in telcos."
"ACCAN urges parliamentarians to pass these vital reforms swiftly to enshrine stronger consumer protections into law without undue delay," Ms Bennett concluded.
ACCAN looks forward to working with policymakers, industry, and consumer advocates to ensure the successful implementation of these reforms.
