Telstra has confirmed it is about to revise its policy on charging silent line fees for victims of domestic violence.
“We understand that some Australians require a silent line because their personal safety is at risk so we will be waiving the silent line fee for customers in these circumstances,” says Telstra executive, Tim O’Leary.
“We’re just finalising how this will work, but we’ll include anyone who has a valid protection order recognising a security threat or is a client of a community organisation providing services to people who are facing a security threat.
Telstra’s decision was welcomed by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Stephen Conroy "I am pleased that Telstra has listened to their customers and taken this important step in protecting the privacy of some of Australia's most vulnerable people."
"I expect other providers who charge silent number fees to do the same to protect victims of domestic and family violence."
The issue of fees for silent or unlisted numbers was considered as part of the Australian Law Reform Commission's (ALRC) review of Australian privacy laws.
The ALRC noted that victims of domestic and family violence had a particular need for free access to silent lines.
"There is still significant community interest about the fees charged for silent number use," Senator Conroy said.
"As such, the Government has referred the ALRC's recommendation to the Senate Committee on Telecommunications to examine whether this privacy safeguard should be made available free-of-charge to all Australians."
__small.png)
