17 June 2004
85/04TELSTRA'S LOW INCOME PACKAGE WORKING: WELFARE AGENCIES
Age pensioners and low income families are reporting higher levels of satisfaction with their telephone services, according to Australia's major welfare agencies.
And Telstra's programs to support low income consumers are starting to deliver real benefits.
The Government required the establishment of the Low-Income Measures Assessment Committee as an integral aspect of the telecommunications consumer safeguard regulations.
The Low-Income Measures Assessment Committee (LIMAC) was established in June 2002 and includes representatives from the Australian Council of Social Service, the Smith Family, the Salvation Army, Anglicare Australia, the Council on the Ageing, Jobs Australia and the Australian Federation of Homelessness Organisations.
The committee is responsible for assessing proposed changes to Telstra's low-income package "Access for Everyone", approving its marketing plan and reporting to the Australian Government on the effectiveness of the package.
In its first annual report, released today, the LIMAC concluded that: "Telstra has responded genuinely and comprehensively to the licence requirement to provide a program assisting low-income Australians to access telecommunications services."
While the Access for Everyone package was still in its early stages, the committee said that: "As the program evolves, it is expected that Telstra will gain more experience in these markets and a better understanding of low-income customers' needs and circumstances."
The report endorses initiatives in "Access for Everyone", including:
- The Telstra Bill Assistance Program, which provides emergency relief to Telstra customers facing financial difficulties;
- The HomeLine Budget phone plan, a tailored package for residential customers who would prefer a relatively low line rental charge with higher than standard call charges;
- Enhancements to the Telstra Pensioner Concession Scheme and the InContact service, which enable more outgoing calls to be made; and
- The Sponsored Access initiative, which enables free telephone access in homes used for crisis accommodation.
Telstra's low-income package, which contains measures especially targeted at holders of Pensioner Concession Cards, Health Care Cards and Low-Income Health Care Cards, has been rolled out progressively since 1 July 2002.
Research conducted for the LIMAC found that "the age pensioners and low-income family segment respondents reported the highest levels of satisfaction with their current level of access to telephone services, and both showed significant increases in comparison to the 2002 benchmark study".
The LIMAC has also identified telecommunications access for homeless and indigenous people, particularly in remote indigenous communities, and more effective targeting of communications about the low-income package as priority areas to be addressed in the future.
A copy of the LIMAC report is available from the Publications link on the Telecommunications page at www.dcita.gov.au
More information about the low-income package can be obtained from the Telstra website at: www.telstra.com.au/accessforeveryone/index.htm?tR=3hm
Media Contact: Carina Tan-Van Baren (02) 6277 7480/ 0439 425 373
