ACIF to Host Industry Briefings to Explain New Codes on Contracts and Prices, Terms & Conditions
Announcement posted by ACIF 12 Mar 2005
Industry briefings to assist carriers and service providers understand the Consumer Contracts and Prices, Terms & Conditions Codes
The Australian Communications Industry Forum (ACIF) today said that it will host industry briefings in Sydney and Melbourne to explain the requirements set out in the new Consumer Contracts Code and the revised Prices, Terms and Conditions Code.
The briefings, titled the Changing Landscape for Contracts and Information Provision are an ACIF initiative designed to ensure that carriers and service providers understand the codes and their obligations to ensure compliance.
The Consumer Contracts Code was published by ACIF in February and has been sent to the Australian Communications Authority (ACA) for registration. Once registered, Australia will become the first country in the world to have an industry-specific code on unfair contract terms. The Consumer Contracts Code puts in place rules that did not previously exist to provide safeguards for consumers and small business against unfair contract terms and complex, unintelligible contracts.
The Prices, Terms and Conditions Code ensures that consumers have sufficient accurate information to make informed decisions before and after signing contracts for fixed or mobile phone and Internet services or products such as handsets, answering machines, modems etc. It was also revised in February and has been sent to the ACA for registration.
We need to make certain that industry participants are kept informed and have the information needed to ensure compliance with the new and revised codes, said Anne Hurley, chief executive officer, ACIF. The Consumer Contracts Code will deliver some groundbreaking changes, providing additional protections for consumers and small businesses, as will the changes made to the Prices, Terms and Conditions Code covering advertising and customer information.
The briefings have been designed to provide a forum for open dialogue between industry players and the ACIF project managers that have been responsible for seeing these codes through to publication, she said.
The briefing in Sydney will be held on Thursday 17 March at ACIFs headquarters in North Sydney. The briefing in Melbourne will be held the following week on Thursday 24 March in the Telstra building in Melbourne.
For further information, please contact Robin Williams at ACIF on (02) 9959 9113 or r.williams@acif.org.au. RSVPs for the Sydney briefing are due by Wednesday 16 March and Wednesday 23 March for the Melbourne session.
Additional Information
Changing Landscape for Contracts and Information Provision
ACIF Industry Briefing
Consumer Contracts Code & Prices, Terms & Conditions Code
Sydney 17 March 2005
ACIF
Level 9, 32 Walker Street
North Sydney 2060
10am-12:30pm
Melbourne 24 March 2005
Telstra
242 Exhibition Street
Melbourne 3000
10am-12:30pm
About ACIF
ACIF is a member-funded organisation established in 1997 to facilitate communications self-regulation in the interests of both industry and consumers.
ACIF provides a neutral forum in which all participants and end-users in the Australian communications industry can work together to foster an efficient, competitive environment through self-regulatory processes, technical codes and standards.
The briefings, titled the Changing Landscape for Contracts and Information Provision are an ACIF initiative designed to ensure that carriers and service providers understand the codes and their obligations to ensure compliance.
The Consumer Contracts Code was published by ACIF in February and has been sent to the Australian Communications Authority (ACA) for registration. Once registered, Australia will become the first country in the world to have an industry-specific code on unfair contract terms. The Consumer Contracts Code puts in place rules that did not previously exist to provide safeguards for consumers and small business against unfair contract terms and complex, unintelligible contracts.
The Prices, Terms and Conditions Code ensures that consumers have sufficient accurate information to make informed decisions before and after signing contracts for fixed or mobile phone and Internet services or products such as handsets, answering machines, modems etc. It was also revised in February and has been sent to the ACA for registration.
We need to make certain that industry participants are kept informed and have the information needed to ensure compliance with the new and revised codes, said Anne Hurley, chief executive officer, ACIF. The Consumer Contracts Code will deliver some groundbreaking changes, providing additional protections for consumers and small businesses, as will the changes made to the Prices, Terms and Conditions Code covering advertising and customer information.
The briefings have been designed to provide a forum for open dialogue between industry players and the ACIF project managers that have been responsible for seeing these codes through to publication, she said.
The briefing in Sydney will be held on Thursday 17 March at ACIFs headquarters in North Sydney. The briefing in Melbourne will be held the following week on Thursday 24 March in the Telstra building in Melbourne.
For further information, please contact Robin Williams at ACIF on (02) 9959 9113 or r.williams@acif.org.au. RSVPs for the Sydney briefing are due by Wednesday 16 March and Wednesday 23 March for the Melbourne session.
Additional Information
Changing Landscape for Contracts and Information Provision
ACIF Industry Briefing
Consumer Contracts Code & Prices, Terms & Conditions Code
Sydney 17 March 2005
ACIF
Level 9, 32 Walker Street
North Sydney 2060
10am-12:30pm
Melbourne 24 March 2005
Telstra
242 Exhibition Street
Melbourne 3000
10am-12:30pm
About ACIF
ACIF is a member-funded organisation established in 1997 to facilitate communications self-regulation in the interests of both industry and consumers.
ACIF provides a neutral forum in which all participants and end-users in the Australian communications industry can work together to foster an efficient, competitive environment through self-regulatory processes, technical codes and standards.