LABOR COPYCATS RISK THOUSANDS OF JOB LOSSES
1 July 2004
96/04
Labor has once again taken the lazy option of copying United States policy on establishing a do-not-call register without considering the different environment in Australia.
In its headlong rush to look like it has a considered policy, Labor has failed to take into account the implications of the US model it proposes to adopt, including the potential for thousands of Australian job losses.
Labor's knee-jerk policy also fails to detail how it would protect legitimate business practices and Australia's 220,000-strong telemarketing workforce.
For example, the American Teleservices Association estimates that the introduction of the National Do Not Call Registry in the US will see one-third of its telemarketing workforce lose their jobs. How would Labor prevent this happening in Australia?
As usual, rather than working with business to ensure a workable regulatory outcome, Labor has gone for a heavy-handed and ill-considered approach.
The Howard Government has been working with industry and other stakeholders to develop an effective solution to nuisance telemarketing practices.
Any do-not-call-register established by the Government would protect consumers from nuisance calls without limiting legitimate business practices.
Broader issues, such as the protection of customer information, also need to be considered.
The Australian Communications Authority (ACA) has recently issued a discussion paper "Who's Got Your Number? Regulating the Use of Telecommunications Customer Information" for public comment, which will assist in the development of a coordinated response to these issues.
In order to develop a system that best meets the needs of consumers and business, all interested stakeholders must be consulted and a measured and inclusive response adopted. But Labor apparently doesn't need to consult. It thinks it already knows all the answers.
The Government's discussions with the Australian Direct Marketing Association have been extensively reported and it is a fair bet that this coverage has triggered Labor's "me first" announcement today.
But Australians will not thank Labor for rushing into an ill thought-out model that not only fails to address consumer concerns about telemarketing but adds the problem of thousands of unnecessary job losses.
