As always, there’s a lot of telco regulatory matters members should be aware of:
CIRMP Compliance
An important reminder that telcos must meet their critical infrastructure risk management program (CIRMP) obligations from this year, under the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act. This includes submitting your CIRMP annual report by 28 September via the CISC webform, and meeting at least maturity level 1 of your nominated cyber security framework by 4 October.
This applies to all carriers, as well as carriage service providers who supply services to the Commonwealth Government, or have at least 20,000 services in operation.
IAA provides helpful guidance material in our Portal to assist Members better understand, and comply with their regulatory obligations.
TCP Standard
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) conducted targeted consultation on the industry standard that will replace the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code (TCP Code) in July.
IAA represented our Members in the initial stage of consultations focusing on changes to rules relating to:
the Critical Information Summary;
responsible selling practices including caps on bonuses for sales staff;
remedies for mis-selling; and
completing credit assessments.
As the ACMA will conduct public consultation on the full draft TCP Standard in due course, IAA plans to hold a Member briefing to keep you updated and collect feedback to inform our response. If you are interested in attending, please register via our website.
Mandatory AFCA membership
A reminder that under the new Scams Prevention Framework (SPF), carriers and carriage service providers who provide phone and messaging services are subject to new obligations. This does not apply to internet services, nor to phone and messaging services delivered wholly over the internet.
While many of the rules are still in development, one key requirement is to join the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) by 1 September 2026, but applications must have been in by 14 August 2026.
The AFCA is the designated external dispute resolution (EDR) scheme for scam-related complaints under the SPF. This is additional to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman’s EDR scheme which applies to broader telco complaints.
You can register via the AFCA’s website and read more information in the AFCA’s FAQ page.
The AFCA is also running a webinar on proposed changes to its Rules on 3 September, 11am-1pm AEST. You can register online.
auIGF 2026
The 2026 Australian Internet Governance Forum (auIGF) will be held on 22-23 September, at QT Canberra. IAA continues to be a proud sponsor of the auIGF, a multistakeholder forum contemplating policy issues affecting the internet.
This year, IAA is partnering with Away From Keyboard to run a hypothetical session on digital responsibility when it comes to online scams – who is, or should be responsible for what online?
We encourage all Members to tune into the session, and attend the auIGF, whether in-person, or virtually to engage in important, live public policy issues concerning the internet.
This year’s program brings together stakeholders from government, industry, civil society, academia, and the technical community to discuss the public policy issues shaping Australia’s digital future. Under the theme ‘A resilient internet for all Australians’, auIGF 2026 will explore how Australia can maintain an open, secure and interoperable internet while responding to rapid technological, economic, and social change.
View the program and register now!
PPAP meeting
Our last Public Policy Advisory Panel was held on 17 June. We were joined by the Department of Home Affairs who consulted the Panel on the Electronic Surveillance Reform – a huge overhaul of various legislation that underpins Australia’s electronic surveillance regime. This includes, amongst other things, changes to the mandatory data retention and lawful interception.
The session focused on the costs and benefits of policy change, with discussions remaining at a high-level to inform the detailed drafting of the replacement legislation.
An impact analysis survey was also distributed to IAA members in July. Though the consultation on the impact analysis has concluded, please let us know of any feedback you would like us to raise to the Department on your behalf. Further consultation on the legislation will be held in due course.
Open submissions:
Closed submissions:
As always, please get in touch to share any thoughts on any of the open consultations and/or previous submissions as we really appreciate your feedback.
