Alison Penfold (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to condemn the actions of Telstra, which has announced that it will shut the doors of its Taree store on Monday 10 November—as if the Taree community hasn't already been through enough! In Telstra's eyes, catastrophic floods that've left people without their homes and livelihoods weren't enough of a kick in the guts. Telstra's decision doubles down on a community already doing it tough, withdrawing a vital service that hundreds of paying customers desperately rely on. Why are they doing this? I was advised that the decision was made following an internal review of its retail store strategy, which sounds a lot like yet another attempt to shore up the bottom line.

Telstra has tried to justify this move by saying that the Port Macquarie and Forster stores will remain open and that customers can continue to access support through online services, the My Telstra app or contact centres. Let's be real, Telstra: these are dismal attempts to replace face-to-face contact, particularly for a community that is the oldest in the country. Most people who seek assistance from in-store staff are there because they need face-to-face service, not an online bot or someone sitting in an overseas call centre that they struggle to understand. Louise, from my electorate, said that Telstra was unable to resolve her mobile issue over the phone. She was directed to the Taree store, where she received incredible assistance from a young man named Joshua, who, after significant efforts, was able to rectify the issue. By Telstra's own admission, the issue could only be resolved face to face. So why are they taking away this option for the people of the Manning Valley?

They expect customers like Louise to travel to the already very busy stores of Forster and Port Macquarie, which are at least 40 minutes to an hour away. And how long will it be before these locations follow suit and close their doors? If Telstra is anything like the big banks, which it is increasingly proving itself to be, it won't be long before these stores close, too. And what about the staff? While some of the employees will be relocated to other stores, not all of them have a job to go to.

I've entreated Telstra to reverse its decision. As yet, I have not received a fulsome response to this request. I am sick of Telstra and its corporate buddies raking in billions of dollars in profits a year at the expense of its loyal customers. The government must step in and ensure that consumer rights are no longer trampled on by corporate Australia.

Telstra seems to have forgotten for whom it works. Let me remind them. Telstra, you work for customers—the very people that put you in your position of unprecedented wealth and power. If you will not maintain a presence in Taree, then I'll be calling on the government to legislate that you must.