Do Not Call Register

Australia has a national Do Not Call Register to curb the growing number of telemarketing telephone calls that Australians receive. Legislation was passed in the Parliament of Australia on June 30, 2006 enacting the Do Not Call Register Act 2006.[1] The Australian Communications and Media Authority is responsible for establishing and overseeing the register and has appointed Service Stream Solutions Pty Ltd to operate the Do Not Call Register.

History

The Do Not Call Register[2] and the Industry Standard[3] commenced on 1 May 2007. On the first day, the website was inundated with traffic and apparently "crashed" under the load.

In September 2014, Salmat, an Australian multichannel marketing company, was awarded the contract to operate the Do Not Call Register on behalf of the Australian Communications and Media Authority.[4]

Function

Individuals can place residential or mobile numbers on the register, provided that the number is used primarily for domestic processes (including fax numbers). After it has been added, telemarketers have 30 days to cease calling it, and the number remains on the register for eight years. Certain organisations, however, are exempt from this, specifically charities, religious organisations, educational institutions, government bodies, registered political parties/candidates, or any organisation for which the individual has given consent (explicit or inferred) for their number to be called. Consent can be withdrawn at any time. Market research is not considered to be telemarketing and is also exempt, although these calls are also subject to the industry standard.

It is an offence for a non-exempt organisation to call a number on the Do Not Call Register; organisations that do so may be fined. Individuals who receive telemarketing calls when their number is on the register can submit a complaint to the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Even for organisations that are exempt or for whom consent has been provided, the industry standard developed in conjunction with the register places limits on the times at which calls can be made, requires that calls be terminated upon request, and requires that telemarketers provide certain information to the called party. Telemarketers must provide contact information, enable Caller ID, and reveal upon request how they obtained the recipient's telephone number.

Reception

The register has attracted some criticism for not attempting to curb unsolicited calls from charities and political parties. It also has been criticised for not allowing the inclusion of small business numbers on the register.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Commonwealth of Australia Law - Do Not Call Register Act 2006
  2. ↑ ACMA - Do Not Call Register Information Page
  3. ↑ Telecommunications (Do Not Call Register) (Telemarketing and Research Calls) Industry Standard 2007
  4. ↑ "Salmat Digital awarded Do Not Call Register contract". ACMA. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.

External links