Victim-survivors of domestic and family violence will soon receive better support from their telco under new industry rules made by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
Under the new industry standard all telcos will be subject to minimum enforceable obligations to support at-risk customers.
ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said the new rules will provide people affected by domestic, family and sexual violence with safer, more secure and reliable telco services.
“We know domestic violence causes profound harms across our society, and that maintaining safe and secure access to telco services is crucial to people looking to escape these dangerous situations,” Ms O’Loughlin said.
Under these new rules, people affected by domestic and family violence will be able to easily find details of what support their telco will provide. They will also be assisted by staff who are trained to provide trauma-informed support, and they will have greater agency in managing their accounts and services, including options for additional security settings on their accounts.
“Under these rules customers will not have to repeatedly explain their circumstances and will be able to choose the time and method for communication with their telco. Importantly, these customers will also be able to access this assistance confident that they will never be asked to engage with the alleged perpetrator to resolve their telco issues.
“The ACMA has seen far too many instances where telcos have not only failed to assist customers experiencing domestic and family violence but have also taken action which exposes those customers and their children to further or greater safety risks. These new rules will help them stay safe and connected,” Ms O’Loughlin said.
The ACMA will be actively monitoring telco implementation and compliance with the obligations in the standard. It has strong enforcement options for telcos who are found to have breached rules set out in standards, such as enforceable undertakings, remedial directions and financial penalties.
The first of the new rules, which will be enforced under the Telecommunications (Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Consumer Protections) Industry Standard 2025, will come into effect on 1 July 2025. These include the requirement for telcos to reconnect affected customers and prohibitions on requiring an affected person to interact with an alleged perpetrator.
Other requirements will come into effect on 1 January 2026 for large telcos (those with 30,000 or more services in operation) and 1 April 2026 for the rest of the sector.
The ACMA’s development of this enforceable industry standard is in response to a direction by the former Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP, in December 2024 following advice provided by the ACMA.
The ACMA extends its thanks to all those who shared their views and expertise in the development of the Standard, particularly those members of the community who have lived experience of domestic and family violence and their advocates.
Supporting telco customers experiencing domestic and family violence is one of the ACMA’s compliance priorities for 2024–25.
MR 16/2025