Jo Briskey (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill 2025 may appear to be about abstract regulation and technical changes, but in reality it is about fairness and keeping us connected. It is about making sure that families, small businesses and workers in communities like mine in Maribyrnong and right across the country get a fair go when it comes to the services we rely on every single day. We all know what it feels like when a phone line goes down, when the internet cuts out or when we're hit with an unfair bill and left on hold for hours. For a parent, losing connection may mean that their child can't finish their school project that's due the next day. For a small business, it might mean losing customers that simply can't wait. For an older Australian, it might mean not being able to call a loved one or a doctor when they need to the most. These are not small inconveniences; they are things that cause real stress in already busy households. They are the moments where working people lose time that they don't have and small businesses lose money that they can't spare.

For families already juggling the rising cost of living and small businesses working hard to keep the doors open, these failures cut deep. They cost money. They cost time. They cost trust. And they leave people feeling powerless against the big corporations, who seem untouchable. That's why this bill matters. Telecommunications is the infrastructure of modern life. It's how kids do their homework, how parents talk to their families overseas, how local small businesses connect with customers and how workers earn their living.

This bill gives Australians protections that they should have had a long time ago. It arms the regulator, ACMA, with the teeth it needs to hold dodgy telcos accountable. It lifts penalties for bad behaviour from $250,000 to nearly $10 million or more for the larger companies—no more shrugging off fines as simply a cost of doing business. It creates a register of service providers so dodgy operators can't hide in the shadows and rip people off. It makes compliance with industry codes mandatory so families and small businesses aren't waiting months for regulators to step in. That is fairness in action. That is Labor delivering.

Let me pause on the carriage service provider, or CSP, register, because this is significant reform. Right now, there is no single comprehensive list of who is operating in the telecommunications market. That means a provider can set up, take people's money and, in some cases, cause real harm, all the while flying under the radar. For such an essential piece of social and economic infrastructure, this is not on. This bill fixes that. It creates a national register, a transparent list of providers who are operating legitimately. For families, this means confidence that the company selling you a phone plan is accountable. For small businesses, it means knowing that your internet provider is properly monitored. For industry as a whole, it means a level playing field, because those who do the right thing won't be undercut by dodgy operators who cut corners. And, importantly, the regulator will have the power to shut down providers who pose an unacceptable risk to consumers. That's not a power that will be used lightly, but it will finally give ACMA the power it needs to stop harm before it spreads. We've seen this work in the energy sector, where regulators can exclude retailers who fail customers. Bringing that same power to telecommunications is just common sense.

Another vital part of this bill is the modernising of the penalty framework. For too long, the fines in telecommunications lagged behind other sectors, like in energy, banking and consumer law. That left telcos operating under weaker laws than in industries facing similar risks. This bill fixes it. It brings telecommunications penalties in line with those other sectors. That means, when a company breaks the rules, the Federal Court can look not just a flat fine but at the scale of the misconduct. Penalties can be tied to the benefit a company may have made from breaking those rules or to a percentage of their turnover. Why does this matter? It means that the punishment fits the crime. A giant multinational won't get a way with the same slap on the wrist as a small provider. The court can scale the penalty to the size of the business and the seriousness of the offence. That's fairness. That's consistency. And it means Australians can trust that the rules apply equally, no matter how big the company is.

I think of the cafe owner in Ascot Vale, who can't serve customers if their EFTPOS goes down; the tradie in Keilor East, who relies on their phone to get the next job; and the logistics company in Tullamarine that loses money every time the internet drops out. Under the coalition, these businesses were left to fend for themselves. Under Labor we're making sure the rules work for them, not against them. For workers too, whether it's a transport relying on an app, a nurse swapping shifts or a teacher delivering lessons online, this bill protects their livelihoods by ensuring the services they depend on are reliable and fair.

Let's be honest about how we got here. For nearly a decade, the Liberals and the Nationals had the chance to act. Those opposite had the chance to stand up to the big telcos, but they chose not to. They left penalties so low that the worst offenders could treat them as loose change and just a cost of doing business. They left regulators underpowered. They left families, workers and small businesses exposed. Let's not forget the NBN, a second-rate system built on copper that is still holding back households and businesses today. That was their choice. That is their legacy. The coalition like to talk about standing up for small businesses. But, when push came to shove, they were nowhere. They didn't their back, but we do. We are fixing the mess they left behind.

This bill is part of a bigger story—a story of government putting fairness back at the heart of our economy. Since coming to office, Labor has backed people in financial hardship. We've made it a legal requirement for telcos to provide proper support for customers doing it tough. That means families in Maribyrnong who hit a rough patch are treated with compassion not given more stress. We've protected those experiencing family and domestic violence. Survivors can now safely and quickly manage their phone services without tipping-off an abuser—because everyone deserves safety, dignity and connection. We've cracked down on scams. By working across telecommunications, banking and digital platforms, we've helped stop Australians, including retirees and small businesses, lose their savings to criminal scammers. We've invested in regional and local connectivity. Through mobile blackspot programs, on-farm solutions and community pilots, we're making sure small businesses and workers in every corner of this country can compete, succeed and stay connected.

What does this mean in practice? It means a small retailer in Kensington can stay connected to suppliers without outages cutting into their margins. It means a shiftworker in Gladstone Park can rely on their phone to organise care for their kids. It means a farmer outside Melbourne can use digital tools to grow their business. These are real protections, real investments and real changes that make life better for working people and small businesses. That's what a Labor government does. We put people first, and we put fairness first.

In Maribyrnong fairness is not just an idea; it is lived every single day. It's lived by the migrant families in Flemington, who depend on reliable internet so their kids can keep up with their classmates and so they can stay connected to loved ones overseas. It's lived by the factory workers in Airport West, where a reliable phone network keeps production moving and shifts coordinated. It's lived by the small businesses in Avondale Heights and Strathmore, where the EFTPOS transaction matters and where a dropped connection can mean lost sales. It is lived by those parents and young professionals working from home in Moonee Ponds and Aberfeldie, who rely on fast, dependable broadband to reach new markets, engage with their colleagues and attend virtual meetings. And it is lived by older Australians right across our community, who deserve the peace of mind of being able to call their family, their doctor or emergency services without worrying that the line will fail.

When telecommunications systems fail, it's not just a technical glitch; it's people in our community being disconnected, losing income and feeling isolated. That is why this bill is so important to my community in Maribyrnong and right across the country. It says to every person in my community, 'You matter.' It says to the cafe owner in Niddrie, 'Your business matters.' It says to the nurse in Essendon juggling shifts, 'Your job matters.' It says the family in Glenroy, 'Your connection to each other and the world matters.' The people of Maribyrnong expect fairness. They expect accountability, and, with this legislation, the Albanese Labor government is delivering just that.

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.

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