Greenleaf, Graham --- "Ministerial statement on Telecom consumer issues" [1994] PrivLawPRpr 136; (1994) 1(9) Privacy Law & Policy Reporter176

Ministerial statement on Telecom consumer issues

'Telecom Network and Customer Issues and Telephone Affordability', Mr Lee (Minister for Communications and the Arts), House of Representatives 21 September 1994

The statement touched on a number of privacy issues. The Commonwealth is to enter a formal network development deed with Telecom, comparable to that it has entered into with other carriers, one of the three key items of which will be 'the existing commitments to roll out of calling line identification, or CLI, capacity'.

Telecom will be asked to 'produce quickly' a customer charter dealing in plain English with, among other things, customer privacy.

The Attorney-General is to introduce legislation clarifying the breadth of exemption under the Telecommunications (Interception) Act 1979 (Cth) given to carrier employees. Telecom's privacy guidelines relating to such matters (see 1 PLPR 55) have now been adopted by Optus and Vodaphone.

Telecom's proposed privacy audit (see 1 PLPR 140) will be published and tabled in Parliament. The Minister has also 'asked Telecom to open discussions with the relevant unions to achieve amendments to the necessary awards to allow any internal Telecom disciplinary proceedings involving allegations of privacy breaches, including allegations of voice monitoring or recording, to be chaired by an independent party'.

Graham Greenleaf