Australian consumers get stronger voice on telecoms issues

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 06 August 2008 09:03

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

The head of CTN, Theresa Corbin told iTWire at the time the grant was announced that the, tentative, plan was for the new body to absorb CTN and take over administration of grants funding totalling about $800,000 per year on which CTN and a number of other consumer representative bodies rely and which is provided under section 593 of the Telecommunications Act.

This was confirmed in the ACCAN press release which said that a report delivered to the minister on 1 August 2008 "outlined a number of funding proposals for consumer representation arrangements from 1 July 2009, including a proposal for ACCAN to take over the task of administering that grant funding, within Departmental guidelines.

iTWire understands that this $800,000 of grants funding has not been indexed for a decade, and, as Corbin explained to iTWire earlier, the whole project hinges on adequate budget funding. In the meantime, ACCAN will work towards becoming a fully operational entity entity subject to recieving sufficient funds for its own operations and to administer. Its  press release said: "While the minister considers the report, the founding board has many tasks to complete in the mean time including establishing its own policies and strategies, and cementing relationships with its constituencies, government and industry."

The ACCAN founding board members are:
- Nan Bosler, president, Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association, and current director of CTN;
- Len Bytheway, CEO of ACT for Kids and deputy chair of CTN. - Aaron Davis, CEO, Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network. - Gerard Goggin, professor of digital communication, and deputy director Journalism and Media Research Centre, UNSW;
- Catriona Lowe, co CEO Consumer Action Law Centre and chair of Consumers Federation of Australia;
- Kyle Miers, manager, of national information and projects with Deaf Children Australia, president of Deaf Australia, and founding member of Australian Federation of Disability Organisations;
- Holly Raiche, executive director, Internet Society of Australia, a n director of CTN;
- Alex Varley, CEO Media Access Australia;
- Sue Salthouse, director, Didactic Enterprise, chair of the Communications Alliance Disability Council.