Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

Failure to pass the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Deregulation) Bill will see the earliest and most enthusiastic supporters of the register, those who signed up first, fall off the register. By the end of May this year, 354,977 numbers on the register will expire. These telephone numbers could once again be bombarded by invasive telemarketing calls. If the passage of the legislation is pushed to midyear, a further 171,430 numbers will drop off the register. The bill to which I referred has been before the House of Representatives since October and has been subject to a thorough Senate inquiry, which was tabled in this place yesterday. I urge my Senate colleagues to protect hundreds of thousands of Australians who value the benefits of the register by ensuring the timely passage of this bill.