Dear Resident of the Berowra Electorate,



I hope you are keeping well and are looking forward to the let up from lockdown next week.

As you may know, last week I published an exposure draft of a Private Members Bill which will see telecommunication companies made accountable for poor service.

This Bill is the next step in my campaign for better telecommunications for our community.  

We, in Berowra, are not alone in wanting to see better telecommunications. Across the country, 17 government MPs from all around Australia are supporting the Bill following years of inaction by telcos in our communities.

I am seeking submissions on the exposure draft and would welcome comments about experiences with telecommunications in our area. You can read the bill or make a submission by going to www.telcoreform.com.au

I will continue to fight for better mobile and internet service in our electorate.  

Although not government policy, I hope measures in this Bill will build on the work of the Coalition in delivering the Mobile Black Spot Program and the recently announced Peri-Urban Mobile Program which has improved telecommunications in many communities around Australia.

This newsletter includes more detailed information about the Bill, and some of the national media generated by the announcement. 

If you have any question please feel free to contact me at Julian.leeser.mp@aph.gov.au or (02) 9980 1822.

Kind regards,
 
Julian Leeser

What the Bill will do

Telecommunications is an essential service people rely on but for many people, the telco
service is worse today than it was 20 years ago when we all had landlines.

We’ve got kids studying for the HSC who can’t connect with teachers because their internet doesn’t work, teachers are presenting online classes from the McDonalds carpark because they can’t get reception at home.

We’ve got people in life threatening situations who can’t dial Triple Zero because they have no mobile reception. It’s not good enough.

Proposed changes include:

  • A Universal Mobile Service Obligation - Australians, regardless of where they live,should be able to use a mobile phone to make a call or access the internet inside their home or at their workplace.
  • A Customer Service Guarantee will mean that no caller to a telco will be left on hold for more than five minutes. ‘No service, No fee’ provisions mean that anyone who is without service at their home or business for more six hours between 8am and 8pm over a month gets that month of service for free.
  • The Bill will require telcos to be transparent about their customer service. It will require telcos to publish details of the number of customer complaints in their annual reports. Telcos will have to advise prospective customers of their standing in the Ombudsman’s customer service league table before concluding a contract.
  • Telco execs will be held personally accountable for their poor customer service and failure to meet the needs of customers. Telco executive bonuses will be contingent on customer service improvements.
  • The Bill will make telcos, and their executives, financially liable for preventable deaths caused through their inaction. When a coroner finds that a death would have been prevented had the telco acted differently, significant financial penalties will be applied to the company and its executives.

Supporting Members of Parliament

17 MPs from around Australia are supporting the Bill including:
  • Member for Berowra (NSW) – Julian Leeser MP
  • Federal Member for Cowper (NSW) – Pat Conaghan MP
  • Federal Member for Barker (SA) – Tony Pasin MP
  • Federal Member for O’Connor (WA) – Rick Wilson MP
  • Federal Member for Wide Bay (QLD) – Llew O’Brien MP
  • Federal Member for La Trobe (VIC) – Jason Wood MP
  • Federal Member for Ryan (QLD) – Julian Simmonds MP
  • Federal Member for Mallee (VIC) – Anne Webster MP
  • Federal Member for Longman (QLD) – Terry Young MP
  • Federal Member for Parkes (NSW) – Mark Coulton MP
  • Federal Member for Bowman (QLD) – Andrew Laming MP
  • Federal Member for Forde (QLD) – Bert van Manen MP
  • Federal Member for Bass (TAS) – Bridget Archer MP
  • Federal Member for Groom (QLD) – Garth Hamilton MP
  • Federal Member for Bennelong (NSW) – John Alexander MP
  • Federal Member for Nicholls (VIC) – Damian Drum MP
  • Senator for Victoria – Senator Sarah Henderson

Telco Reform Media







Office of Julian Leeser MP · PO Box 743 · Pennant Hills, NSW 1715 · Australia