Celia Hammond (Curtin, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The member for Perth has raised a number of valid points in this motion, but I completely disagree with his criticism of the government on this matter. I also understand comments have been made by previous speakers as to the government not speaking on the matter. This would seem to be regrettable, opportunistic and political pointscoring, as I am about to speak on it right now.

I would like to acknowledge the popularity of the CapTel service among the Australian deaf and hard-of-hearing community, including in my electorate of Curtin. In fact, a number of constituents have contacted me with their concerns about having to move from a CapTel service to a new service. I understand, as does the government, their concerns about having to learn how to use a new system and whether or not it will provide a service which they need. But I would also note that the government has been diligent and proactive in responding to the concerns which have been raised and that if any condemnation needs to be made here, it should not be sheeted towards the government.

To understand this issue, context is needed. The CapTel service is just one of 19 services offered through the National Relay Service. The National Relay Service, funded by the Australian government to the tune of $22 million per annum, is a very important communications service for Australians in our communities who are deaf, who are hard of hearing or who have a speech impairment, as it allows them to make and receive phone calls through what is called a relay call. The NRS is available 24 hours a day every day and relays more than a million calls each year throughout Australia.

There are a number of ways in which the relay calls can work and a number of different devices which are used within the NRS to facilitate this. The CapTel handset is just one of them. The appropriate device is determined by the impairment or the need of the user. Since November 2019 services through the NRS have been transitioning from the previous relay service provider, Australian Communication Exchange, to Concentrix. The decision to move from ACE to Concentrix was made following two tender processes conducted for the NRS in 2018 and 2019. The minister has been very clear on numerous occasions as to why the government put the NRS out to tender. The minister has also been very clear on numerous occasions as to why the incumbent provider, ACE, was not successful.

In relation to the continued usage of CapTel, what is important to note here is that the government did not seek to exclude the CapTel handset from the new service. ACE was the only tenderer which could offer the CapTel handset because they held exclusive Australian rights to the technology, and they sought to leverage that exclusivity by almost doubling the cost per minute of providing the NRS services. This situation was compounded by the fact that the owner of the CapTel system declined to deal with other NRS tenderers, including Concentrix. On this point, the minister has made it very clear that if the owners of CapTel's system are willing to work with Concentrix, and if they are willing to make an acceptable offer to Concentrix, the government stands ready to support the continuation of the service to current CapTel handset users, whether on a commercial basis or as part of a sustainable NRS.

At this point in time it is unclear whether the commercial parties involved here will come to the party. Because we don't want vulnerable Australians to be caught up in a company's commercial negotiations, the government are encouraging CapTel users to continue to migrate to either NRS supported alternatives or other options. And, yes, I agree with the member for Perth that many of the elderly users in our community can find it difficult learning to use the new technology. Although I would also say: let's not underestimate them. That's why the government have been working with and will continue to work with CapTel handset users to move to other services which will meet their needs. I will note here that 700 users have received in-home assistance and training to make this transition.

The Morrison government is fully committed to keeping those who are deaf, hearing impaired or speech impaired connected through a fully funded, efficient and sustainable National Relay Service. It will continue to monitor the situation and ensure that assistance is provided wherever required for whoever needs it and that it gets put in place.

See this speech in context