With the ACMA holding public consultation on the draft Telecommunications (Consumer Protections) Industry Standard (TCP Standard), our advocacy team has been very busy – from representing Members at the CommsDay Wholesale Summit to raise the issue of increasing regulatory burden for small telcos, to holding a briefing for Members on the proposed changes under the TCP Standard and leading a campaign calling on the Minister for Communications for more practicable, proportionate regulation. We share our Members’ concerns that the current regulatory approach is squeezing smaller challenger telcos out of the market, and we’re making sure Government and regulators hear our voices. You can read more on our campaign in this article, and sign-on to the open letter by emailing policy@internet.asn.au.
TCP Standard
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) recently held public consultation on the draft TCP Standard. The TCP Standard is intended to replace the current TCP Code and would require telco providers to make massive changes across its operations, from the CIS, billing, credit assessment and management, and communications with customers.
IAA held a briefing for Members to outline the key changes, and seek Member input into how the proposed TCP Standard would impact Members. If you missed the briefing, you can watch the recording on our website.
The consultation period closed on 10 November, and you can read our response online. Please feel free to continue to provide feedback on the TCP Standard to us so we can continue raising issues with the proposed regulation.
Digital Duty of Care Bill
Our CEO, Narelle appeared at the Senate Hearing on the Environment and Communications Committee’s Inquiry into the Online Safety Amendment (Digital Duty of Care) Bill 2026 (DDOC Bill). The proposed DDOC Bill is yet another piece of regulation that would apply to ISPs, replacing the current industry codes with a new ‘duty of care’ framework for what happens online.
As raised in our submission, and as Narelle explained to the Committee, while we support Government’s intent to ensure a safer internet and online environment, a duty of care, is not appropriate for ISPs who only provide internet access, and has limited visibility or control over content shared online.
IAA is also increasingly concerned about how landmark reform like the DDOC Bill are rushed with inadequate consultation with affected stakeholders. Industry were provided only two weeks to respond to a 75-page exposure draft, which the Department of Communications failed to list on their consultation hub page, and elected to not publish submissions received.
You can read our responses to both the Department’s exposure draft, and the more recent Senate inquiry online.
auIGF 2026
IAA held a joint hypothetical session with Away From Keyboard Inc at the 2026 Australian Internet Governance Forum (auIGF) on 22-23 September, at QT Canberra. IAA continues to be a proud sponsor of the auIGF, exploring digital responsibility when it comes to online scams – who is, or should be responsible for what online?
With the Scam Prevention Framework capturing the telco sector – albeit internet services don’t fall within the scope at this point – requiring telcos to join an additional external dispute resolution scheme, and proposals for automatic scam imbursement, this session was timely to work through where responsibility lies in a scam scenario. Members can watch a recording of the session online.
PPAP Meeting
Our last Public Policy Advisory Panel was held on 9 September. We were also joined by the Department of Home Affairs who consulted the Panel on a proposed ISP Code of Practice to enhance cyber security of edge devices as part of Horizon 2 of the Government’s overall Australian Cyber Security Strategy. Further public consultation on the draft voluntary code will be held by the Department in due course.
Submitted responses:
Exposure Draft – Privacy Reform Legislation | Attorney General’s Department
Exposure Draft – Digital Duty of Care Bill | Department of Communications
Scam Prevention Framework EDR Rules | AFCA
Targeted review of non-financial loss compensation limit | TIO
Inquiry into the DDOC Bill | Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications Legislation
Draft Telecommunications (Consumer Protections) Industry Standard | ACMA
Open consultations:
As always, please get in touch to share any thoughts on any of the open consultations and/or previous submissions. We really appreciate your feedback.
