Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

The government does not support the motion. Telcos made a commercial decision to switch over their 3G networks. The overriding concern throughout the 3G switchover process has been to protect public safety. Everyone using a mobile phone in Australia should have confidence that their device is able to call triple 0 in an emergency. That's why the Minister for Communications directed ACMA to amend the ECS determination to require service providers to identify mobile phones that are unable to access triple 0, notify the user and cease providing a service to the effective device.

Consumers were notified multiple times in a variety of ways by their mobile operator about the need to upgrade. Australians will continue to have a wide variety of handset options that they can purchase through their telco or from a third-party vendor. As such, the government opposes this motion.