Media advisory—
Public hearing in Melbourne
What:
Public hearing—part of the ACMA’s Reconnecting the
Customer public inquiry
When:
Friday 29 October from 9.30 am until 12.30 pm
Where:
Melbourne Town Hall, corner Swanston and Collins Streets
As part of its Reconnecting the Customer public inquiry into customer service and complaints-
handling in the Australian telecommunications industry, the Australian Communications and
Media Authority is holding a public hearing in Melbourne, one of a number being held around
Australia.
The hearings will consist of a series of verbal submissions—with Q and A— from industry,
consumer organisations and individuals.
In Melbourne they include:
Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman
Financial Ombudsman Service
Brotherhood of St Laurence
Optus
Macquarie Telecom
Telstra
Russell Thomas
Craig Lambie.
Observers have also been encouraged to attend.
For more information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Caroline Page, Assistant Manager, Do Not Call Register Section, on (03) 9963 6753, 0433 251
633 or media@acma.gov.au.
Backgrounder
Public inquiry
In 2007–08, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) identified customer service
related issues as the leading source of complaints by consumers for the first time. In 2008–09,
while complaints about billing issues generated the highest number of complaints-handling
issues overall, complaints about customer service issues were the second highest, increasing by
72 per cent. For the same period, the growth rate for complaints-handling issues was the highest
at 130 per cent.
This rise in complaints occurred against a backdrop of an increasingly convergent and complex
telecommunications environment for consumers.
The ACMA is undertaking the Reconnecting the Customer public inquiry largely in response to
these matters.
The ACMA’s Reconnecting the Customer strategy is intended to materially improve customer
service and complaints-related outcomes for Australian telecommunications consumers. The
strategy has three key elements:
1.
Public inquiry
2.
Review of industry’s Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code (TCP code)
3.
Regulator’s forum.
The scope of the public inquiry
The inquiry will address four main questions:
1.
Are there systemic problems in the Australian telecommunications sector
with respect to the way it deals with its customers?
2.
If there are problems, what are the causes?
3.
What are the potential solutions to any problems?
4.
What is the best strategy going forward for addressing customer service and
complaints-handling issues in the converging communications environment?
Contributors to the public hearings are invited to address these questions or relevant, related
matters of customer service in the telecommunications industry. More information about the
scope of the enquiry can be found in the Reconnecting the Customer consultation paper,
available on the ACMA website.
Public hearings
The Australian Communications and Media Authority is holding public hearings in October and
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