Telecommunications Act 1997

In force

Administered by

Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts

Superseded version

View latest version

View as made version

C2025C00355 (C01)

16 December 1997 - 31 December 1997

Table of contents

Part 1—Introduction
- 1 Short title
- 2 Commencement
- 3 Objects
- 4 Regulatory policy
- 5 Simplified outline
- 6 Main index
- 7 Definitions
- 7A Agency co ordinator
- 8 Crown to be bound
- 9 Extra territorial application
- 10 Extension to external Territories
- 11 Extension to adjacent areas
- 12 Act subject to Radiocommunications Act
- 13 Continuity of partnerships
- 14 Controlled carriage services, controlled networks and controlled facilities
- 15 Content service
- 16 Listed carriage services
- 17 Standard telephone service
- 18 Access to an emergency call service
- 19 Recognised person who operates an emergency call service
- 20 Customer cabling
- 21 Customer equipment
- 22 Customer cabling and customer equipment—boundary of a telecommunications network
- 23 Immediate circle
- 24 Extended meaning of use
Part 2—Network units
- Division 1—Simplified outline
  - 25 Simplified outline
- Division 2—Basic definition
- Division 3—Related definitions
- Division 4—Distinct places
Part 3—Carriers
- Division 1—Simplified outline
  - 41 Simplified outline
- Division 2—Prohibitions relating to carriers
- Division 3—Carrier licences
- Division 4—Nominated carrier declarations
- Division 5—Register of nominated carrier declarations and carrier licences
  - 84 Register of nominated carrier declarations and carrier licences
Part 4—Service providers
- Division 1—Simplified outline
  - 85 Simplified outline
- Division 2—Service providers
  - 86 Service providers
- Division 3—Carriage service providers
- Division 4—Content service providers
  - 97 Content service providers
- Division 5—Service provider rules
Part 5—Monitoring of the performance of carriers and carriage service providers
- 104 Simplified outline
- 105 Monitoring of performance
- 105A Monitoring of performance—additional report
Part 6—Industry codes and industry standards
- Division 1—Simplified outline
  - 106 Simplified outline
- Division 2—Interpretation
- Division 3—General principles relating to industry codes and industry standards
- Division 4—Industry codes
- Division 5—Industry standards
- Division 6—Register of industry codes and industry standards
  - 136 ACA to maintain Register of industry codes and industry standards
Part 7—Universal service regime
- Division 1—Introduction
- Division 2—Universal service obligation
  - 149 Universal service obligation
- Division 3—Universal service providers
- Division 4—Universal service plans
- Division 5—Regulation of universal service charges
- Division 6—Assessment, collection, recovery and distribution of universal service levy
Part 8—Continued access to untimed local calls
- 222 Simplified outline
- 223 Requirement to provide an untimed local call option
- 224 Untimed local call option
- 225 Eligible local calls
- 226 Benefits for customers outside standard zones
- 227 Standard zones
- 228 Applicable zones
- 229 Eligible customer
- 230 Points
- 231 Application of this Part
Part 9—Customer service guarantee
- 232 Simplified outline
- 233 Interpretation
- 234 Performance standards
- 235 Damages for breach of performance standards
- 236 Scale of damages for breach of performance standards
- 237 Evidentiary certificate issued by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman
- 238 Waiver of customer service guarantee
- 239 Savings of other laws and remedies
- 240 Breach of performance standard is not an offence
- 241 Clause 1 of Schedule 2 does not apply to a breach of a performance standard
- 242 Minister may direct the ACA about the use of its powers under this Part
- 243 Review of performance standards following Ministerial direction
Part 10—The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman
- 244 Simplified outline
- 245 Eligible carriage service providers
- 246 Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman scheme
- 247 Exemptions from requirement to join scheme
- 248 Direction to join scheme
- 249 Determination that a class of carriage service providers must join scheme
- 250 Members of scheme must comply with scheme
- 251 Register of members of scheme
Part 11—Protection for residential customers against failure by carriage service providers to provide standard carriage services
- 252 Simplified outline
- 253 Scope of Part
- 254 Standard residential customer
- 255 Protected payments
- 256 Compliance with protection schemes for protected payments
- 257 Protection schemes for protected payments—alternative supply of standard carriage services
- 258 Protection schemes for protected payments—third party guarantee
- 259 Protection schemes for protected payments—insurance cover
- 260 Protection schemes for protected payments—holding of payments in trust accounts
- 261 Waiver of protection by customers
- 262 Incidental rules
- 263 Enforcement of protection schemes
Part 12—Provision of emergency call services
- 264 Simplified outline
- 265 Provision of emergency call services
- 266 Compliance with determination
- 267 Access to emergency call services
- 268 Ministerial pricing determinations
- 269 Access to be provided
Part 13—Protection of communications
- Division 1—Introduction
- Division 2—Primary disclosure/use offences
- Division 3—Exceptions to primary disclosure/use offences
  - Subdivision A—Exceptions
  - Subdivision B—Burden of proof
    - 295 Burden of proof
- Division 4—Secondary disclosure/use offences
- Division 5—Record keeping requirements
- Division 6—Instrument making powers not limited
  - 310 Instrument making powers not limited
Part 14—National interest matters
- 311 Simplified outline
- 312 ACA’s obligations
- 313 Obligations of carriers and carriage service providers
- 314 Terms and conditions on which help is to be given
- 314A Delivery points
- 315 Suspension of supply of carriage service in an emergency
- 316 Generality of Part not limited
Part 15—Co operation with agencies
- Division 1—Introduction
- Division 2—Obligations concerning interception and special assistance capabilities and exemption from those obligations
- Division 3—Interception capability plans
- Division 4—Requirement arising from proposed technological changes
- Division 5—Allocation of costs in relation to interception, special assistance, and agency specific delivery capabilities
- Division 6—Review of cost effectiveness of interception
  - 332R Minister to conduct review etc.
Part 16—Defence requirements and disaster plans
- Division 1—Introduction
  - 333 Simplified outline
  - 334 Defence authority
- Division 2—Supply of carriage services
  - 335 Requirement to supply carriage services for defence purposes or for the management of natural disasters
- Division 3—Defence planning
- Division 4—Disaster plans
- Division 5—Delegation
  - 347 Delegation
Part 17—Pre selection in favour of carriage service providers
- 348 Simplified outline
- 349 Requirement to provide pre selection
- 350 When pre selection is provided in favour of a carriage service provider
- 351 Pre selection to be provided
- 352 Exemptions from requirement to provide pre selection
- 353 Use of over ride dial codes
Part 18—Calling line identification
- 354 Simplified outline
- 355 Calling line identification
- 356 Exemptions from calling line identification requirement
Part 19—Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS)
- 357 Simplified outline
- 358 Meaning of AMPS
- 359 Scope of Part
- 360 No new AMPS
- 361 AMPS to be phased out
- 362 Limited exemption from phase out of AMPS
- 363 Competition not to be reduced
Part 20—International aspects of activities of the telecommunications industry
- Division 1—Simplified outline
  - 364 Simplified outline
- Division 2—Compliance with international agreements
  - 365 INTELSAT and Inmarsat—directions to Signatories
  - 366 Compliance with conventions
- Division 3—Rules of Conduct about dealings with international telecommunications operators
Part 21—Technical regulation
- Division 1—Simplified outline
  - 373 Simplified outline
- Division 2—Interpretative provisions
  - 374 Part applies to networks or facilities in Australia operated by carriers or carriage service providers
  - 375 Manager of network or facility
- Division 3—Technical standards about customer equipment and customer cabling
- Division 4—Disability standards
- Division 5—Technical standards about the interconnection of facilities
- Division 6—Connection permits and connection rules
  - Subdivision A—Connection permits authorising the connection of non standard customer equipment and non standard cabling
  - Subdivision B—Connection rules
    - 404 Connection rules
    - 405 Procedures for making connection rules
- Division 7—Labelling of customer equipment and customer cabling
- Division 8—Protected symbols
  - 417 Protected symbols
- Division 9—Cabling providers
- Division 10—Remedies for unauthorised connections to telecommunications networks etc.
- Division 11—Prohibited customer equipment and prohibited customer cabling
- Division 12—Pre commencement labels
  - 453 Pre commencement labels
Part 22—Numbering of carriage services and regulation of electronic addressing
- Division 1—Simplified outline
  - 454 Simplified outline
- Division 2—Numbering of carriage services
  - Subdivision A—Numbering plan
- Subdivision B—Allocation system for numbers
  - 463 Allocation system for numbers
  - 464 Consultation about an allocation system
- Subdivision C—Miscellaneous
- Division 3—Regulation of electronic addressing
Part 23—Standard agreements for the supply of carriage services
- 478 Simplified outline
- 479 Standard terms and conditions apply unless excluded
- 480 Standard form of agreement to be publicly available
- 481 Standard form of agreement to be given to the ACA
- 482 Concurrent operation of State/Territory laws
- 483 Trade Practices Act not affected by this Part
Part 24—Carriers’ powers and immunities
- 484 Schedule 3
Part 25—Public inquiries
- Division 1—Simplified outline
  - 485 Simplified outline
- Division 2—Inquiries by the ACA
- Division 3—Inquiries by the ACCC
Part 26—Investigations
- 507 Simplified outline
- 508 Matters to which this Part applies
- 509 Complaints to the ACA
- 510 Investigations by the ACA
- 511 Preliminary inquiries
- 512 Conduct of investigations
- 513 Complainant and certain other persons to be informed of various matters
- 514 Reference of matters to Ombudsman or other responsible person
- 515 Reference of matters to the ACCC
- 516 Reports on investigations
- 517 Publication of reports
- 518 Person adversely affected by report to be given opportunity to comment
- 519 Protection from civil actions
Part 27—The ACA’s information gathering powers
- Division 1—Simplified outline
  - 520 Simplified outline
- Division 2—Information gathering powers
- Division 3—Record keeping rules
Part 28—Enforcement
- Division 1—Simplified outline
  - 532 Simplified outline
- Division 2—Inspectors and identity cards
  - 533 Inspectors
  - 534 Identity cards
- Division 3—Search warrants relating to offences against Part 21
- Division 4—Searches and seizures relating to offences against Part 21
- Division 5—Searches to monitor compliance with Part 21
  - 547 Searches to monitor compliance with Part 21
- Division 6—Other powers of inspectors
- Division 7—Forfeiture
  - 551 Court may order forfeiture
  - 552 Forfeited goods may be sold
- Division 8—Future offences
  - 553 Offences that are going to be committed
Part 29—Review of decisions
- 554 Simplified outline
- 555 Decisions that may be subject to reconsideration by the ACA
- 556 Deadlines for reaching certain decisions
- 557 Statements to accompany notification of decisions
- 558 Applications for reconsideration of decisions
- 559 Reconsideration by the ACA
- 560 Deadlines for reconsiderations
- 561 Statements to accompany notification of decisions on reconsideration
- 562 Review by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal
Part 30—Injunctions
- 563 Simplified outline
- 564 Injunctions
- 565 Interim injunctions
- 566 Discharge etc. of injunctions
- 567 Certain limits on granting injunctions not to apply
- 568 Other powers of the court unaffected
Part 31—Civil penalties
- 569 Simplified outline
- 570 Pecuniary penalties for contravention of civil penalty provisions
- 571 Civil action for recovery of pecuniary penalties
- 572 Criminal proceedings not to be brought for contravention of civil penalty provisions
Part 32—Vicarious liability
- 573 Simplified outline
- 574 Proceedings under this Act
- 575 Liability of corporations
- 576 Liability of persons other than corporations
Part 33—False or misleading statements
- 577 Simplified outline
- 578 False or misleading statements
Part 34—Special provisions relating to the ACA’s telecommunications functions and powers
- 579 Simplified outline
- 580 ACA must have regard to conventions
- 581 Power to give directions to carriers and service providers
Part 35—Miscellaneous
- 582 Simplified outline
- 583 Penalties for certain continuing offences
- 584 Procedure relating to certain continuing offences
- 585 Treatment of partnerships
- 586 Giving of documents to partnerships
- 587 Nomination of address for service of documents
- 588 Service of summons or process on foreign corporations—criminal proceedings
- 589 Instruments under this Act may provide for matters by reference to other instruments
- 590 Arbitration—acquisition of property
- 591 Compensation—constitutional safety net
- 592 Act not to affect performance of State or Territory functions
- 593 Funding of consumer representation, and of research, in relation to telecommunications
- 594 Regulations
Schedule 1—Standard carrier licence conditions
- Part 1—Compliance with this Act
  - 1 Compliance with this Act
- Part 2—Industry development plans
- Part 3—Access to supplementary facilities
- Part 4—Access to network information
- Part 5—Access to telecommunications transmission towers and to underground facilities
- Part 6—Inspection of facilities etc.
Schedule 2—Standard service provider rules
- Part 1—Compliance with this Act
  - 1 Compliance with this Act
- Part 2—Operator services
- Part 3—Directory assistance services
- Part 4—Integrated public number database
- Part 5—Itemised billing
Schedule 3—Carriers’ powers and immunities
- Part 1—General provisions
- Part 2—Transitional provisions
Schedule 4—Reviewable decisions of the ACA
- Part 1—Decisions that may be subject to reconsideration by the ACA
  - 1 Reviewable decisions of the ACA
- Part 2—Decisions to which section 556 does not apply
  - 2 Decisions to which section 556 does not apply
- Endnotes

Telecommunications Act 1997

Legislation text