NEARLY 10 million Australians have experienced a problem with their phone or internet service, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman will announce at the Comms Day Summit today (4pm, April 9, 2018).

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman introduced a comprehensive survey for the first time in 2018 and  surveyed almost 3000 people from across Australia’s residential consumers and small businesses.

In her speech to the conference, Ms Jones will also note 20 percent of residential consumers had more than one phone or internet issue over the last year, and one in four issues were not resolved after four months.  For small businesses the picture is more problematic, with almost 60  percent identifying  a phone or internet issue affecting their business.

Ombudsman Judi Jones said, "Today's results show us that everyone with responsibility for planning and delivering telecommunications service has to make things better. Phone and the internet services are essential services, making a vital difference to families, within communities and to business.

"We all have to be proactive and accessible in managing the  issues. We have to listen to residential  consumers and small businesses, understand the impact of problems, and offer quick, supportive solutions.”
 

Six Month Update complaints snapshot will be released April 17, 2018

THIS six month update provides key data on complaints from residential consumers and small businesses to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman for the period July 1-31 December, 2017.

About the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman is a free and independent dispute resolution and complaint handling service for residential consumers and small businesses who have an unresolved complaint about their phone or internet service.

www.tio.com.au or 1800 062 058.

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THE Indigenous Affairs Committee will be holding public hearings in Perth, Broome, Newman and Warmun between 9 and 11 April 2018, for its inquiry into the growing presence of inauthentic Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ‘style’ art and craft products and merchandise for sale across Australia.

Perth public hearing details

Time:    09.00–13.20

Date:     Monday, 9 April 2018

Location:      Subiaco room, Four Points by Sheraton, 707 Wellington St, Perth

Broome public hearing details

Time:    09.00–11.00

Date:     Tuesday, 10 April 2018

Location:      Boardroom, Kimberley Sands Resort & Spa, 10 Murray Rd, Broome

Newman public hearing details

Time:    16.00–16.40

Date:     Tuesday, 10 April 2018

Location:      East Pilbara Arts Centre, Newman Dr, Newman

Warmun public hearing details

Time:    15.00–15.40

Date:     Wednesday, 11 April 2018

Location:      Warmun Art Centre, Warmun Aboriginal Community, Great Northern Highway, Warmun

www.aph.gov.au/IndigenousAffairs

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Testing, testing

OPEN SOURCE Industry Australia (OSIA) today welcomed the Senate's move yesterday to call an inquiry into the "Comprehensive & Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership" (CPTPP). The inquiry, to be conducted by the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (References Committee) will provide much needed perspective on this controversial and divisive treaty.

OSIA previously lodged a submission to the References Committee's 2016 TPP inquiry[1]. "Fifteen of the 27 issues we raised with the Senate Committee in 2016 still remain to the same extent in CPTPP", said OSIA Company Secretary Jack Burton. "The other twelve are only addressed temporarily by the 22 suspensions in CPTPP." OSIA will be lodging a submission to the Senate's new inquiry in due course.

Senators Griff & Patrick led the move to call the inquiry. "We commend the NXT Senators on taking the initiative to examine this troublesome treaty more closely", said OSIA Chairman Mark Phillips.

In 2015, Nick Xenophon himself described TPP as a "dud deal"[2], but he was not the only politician to criticise TPP strongly. Bob Katter called TPP the "greatest blow to democracy in 300 years"[3], Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson described it as "dangerous & undemocratic"[4] and at the time even the ALP's Melissa Parke described TPP's investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions as "really scary"[5].

Yesterday, only LNP Senator James McGrath sought to scuttle the inquiry, which he described as "unnecessary", citing as evidence DFAT's National Interest Analysis (NIA) and the 2016 JSCOT report[6].

What Sen. McGrath neglected to mention is that NIAs simply aren't credible. As Burton said in his evidence before the 2016 JSCOT inquiry[7], "one would always expect an assessment prepared by the agency that negotiated a treaty to be in fairly glowing terms. To be of much probative use, it would be essential that economic analysis be undertaken on an arms-length basis by an independent body---perhaps by the Productivity Commission".

In 2016 JSCOT too was far from achieving consensus on TPP. Whilst the report of the majority government members supported ratifying TPP, the dissenting report of Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young was scathing of the treaty as a whole and the "additional comments" of the six ALP members of JSCOT were at best luke-warm on issues such as ISDS and labour market testing.

The 2016 Senate References Committee inquiry held no public hearings, preferring to receive only formal submissions. "We hope that this year's inquiry will not be so restricted," continued Phillips, "OSIA calls upon the References Committee to open the doors of its 2018 inquiry through public hearings."

References
[1] Burton, J. & Foxworthy, P., Submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence & Trade regarding the Trans Pacific Partnership, Open Source Industry Australia, 29 Oct 2016. Available at http://osia.com.au/f/osia_sub_201610_sscfadt.pdf
[2] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-06/pacific-nation-ministers-negotiators-lock-in-tpp-trade-deal/6829368
[3] https://www.bobkatter.com.au/media/letters/view/604/tpp-a-blow-to-democracy-just-corporate-colonialism-says-katter/media-releases
[4] https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/secretive-tpp-trades-away-future-says-whish-wilson,7172
[5] https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/may/22/labor-greens-and-crossbenchers-concerned-at-trans-pacific-partnership
[6] https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Treaties/TransPacificPartnership/Report_165
[7] C'th, Official Committee Hansard, Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, Trans-Pacific Partnership (public), 2016, p. 30. Available at http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/commjnt/a6fa4bc7-9c2e-4788-9378-e676fc0a3f53/toc_pdf/Joint%20Standing%20Committee%20on%20Treaties_2016_10_07_4491_Official.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf

About OSIA
Open Source Industry Australia Ltd (OSIA) represents & promotes the Australian open source software industry by:

• Ensuring that the Australian business, government and education sectors derive sustainable financial and competitive advantage through the adoption of open source and open standards;

• Helping Australian Governments to achieve world leadership in providing a policy framework supportive of open standards and of the growth and success of the Australian open source industry; and

• Ensuring Australia's global standing as the preferred location from which to procure open source services & products.

OSIA's members are organisations in Australia who invest in or build their future on the unique advantages of open source software.

ENDS