Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards)

“As an Albanese Labor government, we are making this better. We will fix this problem. That's what this bill does. I commend the bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2025

“The Albanese government's stated ambition is to make Australia the most connected continent. Minister Rowland has stated that this is not just about infrastructure. It also must come with the long-term interest of consumers, which is about safeguards as well, and this is the mechanism to achieve it. I congratulate the minister for all the extraordinary work she has achieved for our country. I commend the bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 27 Mar 2025

“Empowering ACMA, under this legislation, to take greater powers and greater tools to rebalance the unequal situation between consumers and telcos is a very important thing, and the legislation is a very worthy piece of legislation that deserves support.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 27 Mar 2025

“The Albanese government is committed to keeping Australians connected no matter where they live, no matter their circumstances, and with this bill we are ensuring that the regulator is empowered, that industry codes are enforceable and that dodgy providers can be identified and can no longer slip through the cracks. It's about making sure consumers are protected and that there is trust in our telecommunications system. It's about delivering a telecommunications system that supports our families, our businesses and our communities. I commend the bill to the House.”

Labor • MP • 01 Apr 2026

“The reforms proposed in this bill go to the compliance and enforcement regime for consumer safeguards that constitute this comprehensive package of improved arrangements. This is about equipping the watchdogs with the powers that they require. More importantly, we need to do our job and inform consumers about what rights they have when it comes to signing up with new telcos or when things do go wrong and they cannot find a way through it. We need this bill, and that's what this bill is doing.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 27 Mar 2025

“This bill before the House is about ensuring a better deal for telecommunications customers. Everything this government does is focused on the best interests of Australians, and I commend the bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 27 Mar 2025

“The reforms in this bill will change that. This bill empowers the telecommunications industry regulator, ACMA, with the tools it needs to protect consumers and to hold providers to account.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 09 Feb 2026

“This is another step in putting consumers at the heart of regulation that we do, and I commend the bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 27 Mar 2025

“That's where we get to this bill. It is so important, in that it will equip the telecommunications industry regulator with the tools and powers it needs to protect Australian consumers and to carry out its remit so Australian consumers do not fall foul of poor and harmful telecommunications practices. Some of the measures this bill proposes include increasing the quantum of civil penalties that can be issued by the Federal Court for breaches of industry codes and standards. This is being increased by 40 times, from $250,000 to nearly $10 million, because bigger deterrents are needed. The bill also modernises the civil penalties framework to give the Federal Court options in relation to issuing fines for regulatory breaches. This can include three times the benefit gained from the regulatory breach, $10 million or 30 per cent of organisation turnover. Currently, the civil penalties for breaches of industry codes and standards are not a deterrent. They are not commensurate with the harm caused. They are not high enough to deter noncompliance.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 04 Sept 2025

“Mr DAVID SMITH (Bean—Government Whip) (19:18): I also rise to speak in favour of the Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill 2025, which will give effect to a number of significant reforms to boost the enforcement powers and penalties available to the Australian Communications and Media Authority, or ACMA, and complement a host of other initiatives the government is taking to better protect consumers.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2025

“Australians had a choice at the last election between two very different approaches: the coalition, with weak protections, dodgy operators running riot and corporate lunches, and Labor, with tough enforcement, fair rules and protections that put families, workers and small businesses first. To no-one's surprise, they voted for a fair go. This legislation is doing just that—bringing fairness to the forefront, building trust among consumers and providing much-needed accountability. It is about putting people back at the heart of the telecommunications system. That's what the Albanese Labor government is delivering, and that's why I stand here proudly to commend this bill to the House.”

Labor • MP • 04 Sept 2025

“Telecommunications is now such an important part of our lives and of our business that we can't work without it. Industry codes are directly enforceable by ACMA. This will enable ACMA to take immediate and appropriate action to address consumer concerns and complaints. It also provides incentives to industry compliance. There are civil penalties, and the courts can now issue breaches of key regulatory instruments, for the greater good of many people. It will expand and clarify authority to increase infringement notice penalties ACMA can issue for breaches in a short period of time. The current provisions are confusing. They do not allow the Minister for Communications to increase penalties in certain areas. These reforms go to the compliance and enforcement regime for consumers and for businesses and constitute a comprehensive package of improvements to those arrangements. This bill is a very important one to my community and I commend it to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2025

“Ms JORDAN-BAIRD (Gorton) (13:19): I rise to speak in support of the Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill. Every Australian deserves reliable, quality and affordable telecommunications no matter where they live. In 2026, connectivity is not just a nice-to-have. It's not a luxury. It's a necessity. In this day and age, we rely on communications for basic daily activities, like using a credit card or checking the news. Many of us rely on telecommunications to work, to get an education and to stay in touch with our loved ones. In rural and regional areas, many Australians even rely on telecommunications to see a doctor through telehealth. In 2026, a quality, reliable telecommunications service should be a given, and yet it isn't. That is unacceptable, and that's why we've brought forward this bill. This is yet another part of a bigger picture of bringing all telcos up to standard.”

Labor • MP • 01 Apr 2026

“Labor support the Australian public, we support consumers and we are committed to protecting consumers. I commend the Minister for Communications for bringing forward this important legislation. I commend the government for its ongoing commitment to protecting consumers. I urge all members of the House to support this bill.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 27 Mar 2025

“That is why we are bringing this bill to parliament—to strengthen the safeguards that protect consumers.”

Labor • MP • 28 Aug 2025

“Labor believe in fairness, we believe in accountability and we believe that no telco should get away with harming consumers for the sake of their bottom line. To those who have suffered from poor telco service, from unfair treatment, from outrageous penalties and from frustrating delays, this bill is for you. It is for the family who needs reliable internet for their child's education. It is for the small-business owner who cannot afford to lose another day of work due to service failures. It is for every Australian, as every Australian deserves to be treated with respect, and I urge all members in this parliament to support this bill and to stand with the millions of Australians who rely on their phone and internet services every day.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 27 Mar 2025

“This bill is a testament to the Albanese Labor government's commitment to a fair, accountable and trusted telecommunications system. It is a win for consumers, a win for integrity and a win for a more connected Australia. I commend the bill to the House.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 04 Sept 2025

“We know how important NBN is to drive productivity, particularly for regional Australians who work from home, for our small businesses and to access telehealth and so much more. It's for this reason that, under the Albanese government, the NBN is not for sale. But those opposite might sell it off to the highest bidder. Labor built the NBN, just like we built Medicare, superannuation and the NDIS, and it is only Labor that you can trust to deliver better connectivity for all Australians. It's an essential part of keeping connected—having reliable affordable services for all of our telcos. You need reliable connectivity to run small businesses, to work from home or when you are at a point of crisis and need to arrange support. When things go wrong, telcos have an obligation to support you—and if they don't we are ensuring that there are consequences for them. This is what this bill will support, and this is why I'm so incredibly happy to support this fabulous bill.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 26 Mar 2025

“The Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill 2025 is a significant step towards achieving this commitment. The bill aims to amend the Telecommunications Act 1997 to establish a carrier service provider registration scheme, make industry codes directly enforceable by ACMA and amend existing arrangements relating to the application of penalty amounts for infringement notices and civil penalties. These amendments are designed to enhance consumer protections and ensure that telecommunications providers are held to the highest standards of service and accountability. The minister has reviewed the telecommunications consumer protection framework and has consulted with many stakeholders to make these changes.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 27 Mar 2025

“Our government knows that staying connected is a critical part of life. The reforms proposed in the Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill 2025 go to the compliance and enforcement regime for consumer safeguards and constitute a comprehensive package of improvements to those arrangements. They help to ensure the ACMA is an empowered and effective regulator and that appropriate incentive structures are in place to drive better behaviour by telcos.”

Australian Labor Party • MP • 27 Mar 2025

“Ms PENFOLD (Lyne) (12:44): The Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill 2025 makes changes to the Telecommunications Act to strengthen consumer safeguards, something we should all agree is a top priority. The bill will create a register of carriage service providers, enable the direct enforcement of industry codes, amend the existing two-step process for the application of penalty amounts for infringement notices, and increase the maximum penalty amount for breaches of the codes from $250,000 to $10 million. Full visibility of all telecommunications operators will also ensure ACMA can target compliance and enforcement activities and, where necessary, take appropriate action. The changes in this bill will strengthen ACMA's powers and the speed at which they can use them, to provide even greater protections for consumers and ensure we have responsible operators in our telecommunications sector.”

The Nationals • MP • 04 Sept 2025

“We are supporting this bill because it will give consumers greater protections. It will create a register of carriage service providers. It will enable the direct enforcement of industry codes, which is crucial. It will amend the existing two-step process for the application of penalty amounts for infringement notices. This is a really important one: it will increase the maximum penalty for breaches of the code from $250,000 to $10 million. That's important because it means that, if providers are doing the wrong thing and they are letting their consumers down and letting our communities down, there is a significant cost that they will bear from these penalties.”

Liberal Party of Australia • MP • 26 Mar 2025

“This bill, along with the Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill 2025, seeks to provide critical reforms that will help prevent situations where consumers are put at risk or are not able to access the services that they need and should be able to rely on. The bill says it will create a register of all carriage service providers, giving ACMA full visibility of operators in the Australian market. It says it'll make compliance with industry codes mandatory and enforceable without the delays of the current two-step warning process. This is a good thing. If you can have light-handed, industry-led regulation, that's a great outcome, but not in all cases is that achievable. Making that a mandatory and enforceable industry code is a step in the right direction. Requiring providers to report cybersecurity incidents and take swift remedial action is an important reform, particularly in the age we live in, where a growing number of cybersecurity related breaches and threats posed to consumers, small businesses and lots of companies across the board that deal with sensitive consumer data is important. This bill says it will seek to increase penalties for breaches from $250,000 to $10 million, with the possibility of even higher fines based on the provider's turnover or benefit obtained from the breach.”

Liberal Party of Australia • MP • 09 Feb 2026

“The Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill creates a register of carriage service providers, enables the direct enforcement of an industry development code, increases the maximum penalty amount from $250,000 to $10 million and amends the existing two-step process for the application of penalty amounts for infringement notices. It's a bill which enjoys support across the parliament. Obviously, doing more to increase transparency to make sure that, where there are abuses, we can act upon them is something that everyone wants to see in this place. Anything which enhances consumer safeguards and does so in a way that is sensible and doesn't put a huge red-tape burden in place is obviously something that we would support.”

Liberal Party of Australia • MP • 26 Mar 2025

“The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission have long advocated for civil penalty reform to ensure penalties for breaches of codes and standards reflect the severity of the breach and the harm caused. The increase in penalties will address this and align the telecommunications penalty framework to those in the energy and banking sectors, competition legislation and Australian consumer law. Thus, the coalition will support the bill. At the end of the day, it will strengthen consumer protection, streamline enforcement activity and provide greater visibility of operators in the market.”

LNP • MP • 01 Apr 2026

“Mr GEE (Calare) (13:13): I support the Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill 2025 because I believe it can make a positive contribution towards holding telecommunications companies to account, and I think that aspect of it is supported.”

Independent • MP • 04 Sept 2025