Bruce Scott (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise this afternoon in the adjournment debate to speak about the Do Not Call Register Bill, debate on which finished in the House just prior to question time. In my opinion this legislation could not be passed soon enough. The current system whereby people can register with the Australian Direct Marketing Association, or ADMA, only stops businesses calling if they are also registered with the ADMA. Unsolicited and unwanted phone calls have long been a problem for many households across the country. I am sure many members have had complaints to their electorate offices about these unsolicited calls from telemarketers.

By providing Australian phone users with the right to opt out of receiving these calls, we will be providing benefits to consumers and businesses alike. The benefits for consumers are that they will not be interrupted, and scandalously interrupted at times, such as when the family is sitting down to have a meal—a very important time in any family when they are able to communicate with each other. It is an opportunity for the family to talk about the day’s events or perhaps what they may be doing in the future. Or there may be a time when a mother is bathing her child and the phone rings. Obviously this leads to safety issues for the child and the mother.

Another benefit for consumers will be peace of mind that they will not be deceived by fraudulent telemarketers. There have been many cases in my electorate where people, particularly the elderly, are called and are led to believe they are speaking to their current phone provider. I have had many complaints about this. They agree to switch ‘plans’ with their current provider, when it is in fact a devious move to switch providers, not plans. Unscrupulous telemarketers prey on the innocence of so many wonderful older people—and not just older people. We are dealing with people who have been professionally trained in telemarketing. They are professional and they have deceived many innocent people.

Many elderly and disabled people, who make up a considerable percentage of my constituents, may find it difficult or a hindrance to get to the ringing phone from time to time, only to find at the end of that phone a telemarketer trying to sell something. This rush or scramble to get to the phone before it stops ringing may cause accidents.

The other group of people who would be interrupted by telemarketing calls are shiftworkers trying to sleep during the day. They might be people who work in mines, nurses, security people and guards who work at night, or police and other shiftworkers who have to sleep by day and work by night. Some cannot disconnect the phone, because in many cases they may be called to an emergency, so they have to leave their phones active. These people do not need to be woken from their valuable sleep to listen to a nuisance phone call.

For businesses there are many benefits as well. It is going to increase efficiency because they will have access to a more targeted list of people. Time will not be wasted calling people who are simply not interested in their products. The passage of this bill will also bring benefits to businesses who want to legitimately utilise telemarketing. They will have a list of people who are interested in receiving calls from telemarketers.

A recent newsletter I sent to my constituents included a brief mention of the register which was operating with the ADMA. My offices in Dalby, Warwick and Emerald were bombarded with people calling to get more information about how to sign up to that register. This overwhelming response is proof that a legislated register is long overdue.

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