This important reform will ensure family violence victim survivors are protected in their dealings with their telco. For the telcos, an enforceable industry standard will give them certainty about the appropriate way to help customers experiencing family violence.
As stated by Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert:
“This announcement is a really positive step. We see complaints where telcos do not recognise the key signs that a consumer is affected by family violence. We also see complaints where telcos insist a consumer experiencing family violence contact or communicate with the perpetrator of family violence as a way to deal with a phone or internet problem. Neither of these outcomes are good enough.
“Having uniform and mandatory protections across the telco sector means people experiencing family violence will get the help they need, irrespective of who their telco is.
“This reform means the telco sector can fully participate in meaningful change to fulfil its role in preventing and reducing the impact of family violence.”
