Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Among the objectives of the Telecommunications Act 1997 is the promotion of the greatest practical use of industry self-regulation. Part 6 of the act outlines how industry self-regulation is to be achieved through industry initiated and developed codes of practice. Industry codes can be developed by industry bodies and associations that represent sections of the telco industry on any matter which relates to a telecommunications activity, which is defined very widely in section 109 of the act. Codes can be presented by industry bodies to the ACMA for registration and, where the ACMA is satisfied that the code meets stipulated criteria, it is obliged to include the code on a register of industry codes and a register of industry standards. Once the code is registered, the ACMA can direct any participant in a section of the telco industry which is breaching the code to comply with it whether they are a voluntary code signatory or not. Effectively, this is the industry standard-setting mechanism. It is how the system works under the existing act. I appreciate that you think there is something there, but there is actually not. You are just barking up the wrong tree on this one.