Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a pleasure to follow the member for Banks. I rise this morning to talk not about a positive issue, as the member for Banks has just done so eloquently, but, unfortunately, about an issue which is affecting many people in my electorate, particularly older constituents, and that is the decision by Telstra to apply a fee when people pay their bill over the counter. I am sure many members on both sides in this place will have been contacted by constituents about this issue. Many of you will know that I have quite an old electorate. In fact, I have the oldest local district council in the country, Victor Harbour. Many of the people who live in my electorate are self-funded retirees, and they are very unhappy with this decision by Telstra. This fee is a genuine increase to their costs.

A lot of these older people do not have access to the internet. They do not use phone banking. They are not as up-to-date with new technologies as some of us are, and they rely on paying these sorts of bills over the counter. Telstra’s decision to impose this fee is an outrage. I have written to the CEO of Telstra, but I do not expect too much joy there. I have spoken to a senior member of Telstra’ executive, who is a good person usually, but on this occasion I disagree strongly with their decision. Telstra say that the reason for their decision is that it is a significant cost to them to provide this service and that their competitors, such as Optus, also charge a fee. You can understand Telstra considering this fee, given that that is the case with some of their competitors. Frankly, I think it is a disgrace that Optus and other companies charge a fee as well. However, Telstra have always come from a very strong position in this market. Many people, but older people in particular, have always had their phone bill with Telstra. Even though there are some exemptions for pensioners and the like, this fee is a cost increase for older people and families and it is in addition to other cost pressures that they are facing in the community. Telstra should reconsider this decision. I know that many members in this place will support me in that call.

Many people and, in particular, young families are now facing the threat of higher interest rates because of the pressure that large government debt is putting on interest rates. We will see, as Glenn Stevens told the economics committee last Friday, whether there will be an increase in interest rates of somewhere between two and 2½ per cent over the next little while; that is going to be a massive increase. Now add to that the pressure on families from childcare costs. We saw reports the other day of massive increases in childcare costs. That is a pressure as well. It is all a very bleak picture for young families and also for older people in the community. I urge Telstra to reconsider their decision. I think it is an ill-thought-through decision and one that will hurt many ordinary Australians.