ACCAN CEO Andrew Williams welcomes delegates to ACCANect 2022 and explains how to get the most out of the online conference platform. 

Uncle Allan Murray of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council Welcomes delegates to Country to commence the conference. 

ACCAN Chairperson, Deirdre O’Donnell, provides introductory remarks and welcomes delegates to the conference. Deirdre reflects on the changes at ACCAN over the past year and speaks to the organisation’s role in representing consumers to industry, government and regulators. 

ACCAN is very pleased to welcome the Hon. Michelle Rowland MP, Minister for Communications, to deliver a pre-recorded address to open the conference 

Given the changes of the past couple of years, it’s important to do a stocktake and consider what has been achieved, and what we’re still working towards for communications consumers. The purpose of this conference is to outline some of the key issues that are of continuing importance to consumers, and to highlight the work being done by industry, regulators, politicians, and consumer advocates to improve the communications sector and get the basics right for consumers. 

Outgoing ACCC Deputy Chair, Delia Rickard, reflects on her expertise as a consumer advocate, and offers her suggestions on what is needed to help get the basics right for communications consumers across Australia. 

At a time when being connected to communications services is so crucial to everyday life, the reliability of services is essential. In this session, we hear from industry about measures they’re undertaking to ensure that consumers have reliable access to broadband, mobile and landline services, no matter where they live across Australia. 

In this session, Commpete Chair Michelle Lim and ACCAN CEO Andrew Williams will discuss the importance of competition to support better outcomes for consumers. 

With a new Ombudsman now at the helm, what is the TIO’s vision for the future of the telecommunications sector? In this session, Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert shares her thoughts on the TIO’s role in ensuring the basics are achieved for consumers. She also shares what the TIO is doing to make sure that it is accessible, available, and responsive to consumer needs. 

This session will outline some of the key communications issues from a TPG Telecom perspective, and what TPG Telecom is doing to meet and exceed the basic needs of communications consumers. 

In this panel discussion about the affordability of communications services, experts share what affordability measures need to be put in place to better support consumers to engage online, including accessing government services, participating in the digital economy, and making the most of online employment and educational opportunities.

In this session, ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin speaks to how the ACMA can help support industry to meet the basic needs of communications consumers, including consumers experiencing vulnerability, and outlines the ACMA’s compliance priorities.  

This session will outline some of the key communications issues from an Optus perspective, and what Optus is doing to meet and exceed the basic needs of communications consumers. 

ACCAN is very pleased to welcome Senator the Hon Sarah Henderson, Shadow Minister for Communications and Senator for Victoria.  

ACCAN welcomes Julie Inman Grant to ACCANect 2022. The Office of the eSafety Commissioner will provide delegates with an update on the Online Safety Act and associated codes, and how these instruments will benefit consumers and help them stay safe online.

The basics in 2022 look very different to the basics of the past. Consumers are now engaging online in different ways and are using over the top services to stay in touch with friends and family. In light of this, consumer advocates are banding together to consider the basic digital rights that need to be met to support consumers to engage safely and confidently on digital platforms.

This session will outline some of the key communications issues from a Telstra perspective, and what Telstra is doing to meet and exceed the basic needs of communications consumers. 

The Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code (TCP Code) offers important protections to consumers. The 2024 review of this Code is fast approaching, and consumer advocates are starting to turn their attention to how this instrument can be strengthened to better meet the needs of consumers. In this panel discussion, consumer representatives provide their thoughts on what needs to be included in the TCP Code review to make the communications market fairer for all consumers. 

This session will outline the work that nbn Co. are undertaking on digital inclusion. 

In this session, we hear about current communications issues on the ground from a range of communities. They talk about the essential basics for communications from their perspectives and what could be done to better meet their community’s basic communications needs 

Even when the basics of affordability and availability are met, some consumers still have difficulty getting online. It is important that all consumers have the digital skills they require to make the most of connectivity where this is available. 

In this panel session, we hear from digital inclusion experts about the programs and services that are available to support consumers to improve their digital skills and engage safely and confidently online.