The Federal Government has made registrations on the Do Not Call Register indefinite, after the move passed through both houses of parliament. This means consumers will no longer have to re-register their phone numbers on the register, evading the need to deal with telemarketers.
The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has been calling for registrations on the Do Not Call Register to be indefinite for a number of years. Regardless of the fact that it’s faced stiff opposition from the telemarketing industry, the Federal Government’s move favours consumers' wants.
According to ACCAN CEO, Teresa Corbin, having more than 10 million registered numbers on the Do Not Call Register led to the win for consumers.
“The high number of registrations reflects the preference of Australians not to be contacted by telemarketers.
“The previous legislation required consumers to re-register a phone number every eight years. Removing this requirement will save on regulation costs and save consumers from having to re-register to avoid these annoying calls,” she said.
In an ACCAN issued statement, it stated that making registrations indefinite might save consumers $6.9 million per year since there isn’t a need to re-register. Making consumers re-register regularly would have cost about $8.63 million per year.
It also indicated that only 25 per cent of Australians were aware of the initial need to re-register, meaning those with their numbers on it won’t have to worry about adding their numbers back on.
