
Telecommunications (Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Consumer Protections) Industry Standard 2025
The Australian Communications and Media Authority makes the following standard under subsection 125AA(1) of the Telecommunications Act 1997.
Nerida O’Loughlin
[signed]
Cathy Rainsford
[signed]
General Manager
Australian Communications and Media Authority
Contents
4 Application of industry standard
6 References to other instruments
Part 2—Sexual violence outside a domestic and family violence situation
8 Requirement to advise affected persons of available support
9 Application of sections 10 and 11
10 Requirement to agree on a preferred communication method
11 Requirement to discuss support options
12 Minimum requirements for support
13 Providing support to affected persons
14 A provider must not require evidence
15 Communications with an affected person
Part 4—Requirements relating to availability of DFV support information
17 Requirement to publish a DFV statement
18 Requirements regarding access to DFV support services
Part 5—General requirements relating to policies and procedures
19 Develop domestic and family violence policies and procedures
20 Minimum requirements for DFV policies and procedures
22 Training of customer facing personnel
23 Requirement to review policy and procedures
24 Requirement to monitor personnel
25 Requirements relating to the security and privacy of an affected person
26 Requirement on carriers to provide assistance
27 Security of personal and sensitive information
30 Requirements to keep records
Part 11—Conferral of functions and powers
33 Conferral of functions and powers on the TIO
This industry standard is the Telecommunications (Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Consumer Protections) Industry Standard 2025.
Column 1 | Column 2 |
Provisions | Commencement |
1. Part 1, subsections 13(3), 13(4), 13(5), 15(1) and sections 16, 19, 21, 22 and 32. | 1 July 2025. |
2. Anything in this industry standard not elsewhere covered by this table | 1 January 2026. |
Note 1: This table relates only to the provisions of this industry standard as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this industry standard.
Note 2: The Federal Register of Legislation may be accessed free of charge at www.legislation.gov.au.
Note 3. The provisions referred to in column 1, item 2 of this table commence on 1 January 2026. However, they do not apply to small providers until the date specified in subsection 4(2).
This industry standard is made under subsection 125AA(1) of the Telecommunications Act 1997.
Act means the Telecommunications Act 1997.
active service has the meaning given by subsection (2).
affected person means an individual who is a consumer and who identifies as someone who is, or may be, experiencing domestic and family violence including a former, prospective or current consumer.
agreed communication method means the method of, and, where applicable, time for, communicating as agreed under subsection 10(2).
authorised representative means a person who has authority from a consumer to deal with a provider on behalf of that consumer as their authorised agent.
bill means an invoice from a provider which advises a customer of the total of each amount of money due for payment by a customer under a consumer contract.
business hours means the hours between 9.00am and 5.00pm local time.
coercive control means a repeated pattern of behaviour used by an individual that has the effect of creating and maintaining control over another individual by exerting power and dominance in everyday life to deny freedom and autonomy through fear, control, pressure or manipulation.
consumer means:
A reference to a consumer includes a reference to the consumer’s authorised representative.
consumer contract means an arrangement or agreement between a provider and a customer for the supply of a telecommunications product to that customer, including a standard form of agreement formulated by a provider for the purposes of section 479 of the Act.
credit management action means any action taken by a provider in relation to telecommunications products supplied by the provider to a customer, including a restriction, suspension or disconnection, to:
(a) manage any credit risks that are relevant to the provider; or
(b) collect outstanding debts from customers.
customer means a consumer who has entered into a consumer contract with a provider and includes a current customer of a provider or former customer who owes money to a provider in connection with their consumer contract.
disconnection means the termination of a telecommunications service provided to a consumer under a consumer contract.
domestic and family violence refers to behaviours of an individual that are designed to create a dependency or to isolate, monitor, dominate, or control another individual. These behaviours may consist of physical violence and/or other types of abuse, power, coercion or control that cause harm including life threatening communications, unwelcome communications, economic and financial abuse, technology facilitated abuse, threats and intimidation, emotional or psychological abuse, systems abuse, coercive control and sexual violence (other than non-domestic sexual violence). Domestic and family violence can occur in any personal relationship including between intimate partners, parents and children, immediate and extended family groups, communal and extended kinship connections, and in carer and guardianship arrangements.
domestic and family violence policy (DFV policy) means the policy developed by a provider under paragraph 19(1)(a).
domestic and family violence policy training (DFV policy training) means the training delivered or arranged for by a provider under section 21.
domestic and family violence procedures (DFV procedures) means written procedures developed by a provider under paragraph 19(1)(b).
domestic and family violence statement (DFV statement) means the written statement prepared by a provider under subsection 17(1).
domestic and family violence support (DFV support) means the support provided by a provider under Part 3.
economic and financial abuse means a pattern of behaviour used by an individual to control, exploit or sabotage the money, finances or economic resources, of another individual which affects the other individual’s ability to obtain, use or maintain economic resources, economic security and potential for self-sufficiency and independence.
end-user means the consumer using a telecommunications product who is not a customer.
inclusive design means a design process in which a product, service, or environment is designed to be usable for as many people as possible regardless of age, ability and circumstance.
intersectional approach means an approach that recognises that the experience of domestic and family violence can be different based on a range of cultural, individual, historical, environmental or structural factors including (but not limited to) race, age, geographic location, sexual orientation, ability or class.
large provider, for a financial year, means a provider with at least 30,000 services in operation on 1 July in that financial year.
life threatening communications has the meaning given by the C525 Handling of Life Threatening and Unwelcome Communications Industry Code.
Note: The C525 Handling of Life Threatening and Unwelcome Communications Industry Code can be accessed free of charge on Communications Alliance’s website: https://www.commsalliance.com.au.
non-domestic sexual violence means sexual violence outside of a domestic and family violence situation.
perpetrator means the individual who has or is using or is alleged to be using domestic and family violence against another individual.
personnel means staff, contractors or agents engaged by or on behalf of a provider who are involved, either directly or indirectly, with consumers in Australia.
Example: A senior manager or other manager employed by the provider who has direct or indirect involvement in the provider’s dealings with consumers will fall within this definition of “personnel”.
provider means a carriage service provider referred to in subparagraph 4(1)(a)(i).
quick exit function means a button that is prominently displayed on a webpage, that allows the user to instantly leave the webpage with a single click, and which redirects the user to a webpage not connected with the provider, to hide what the user was looking at.
restriction means a restriction imposed by a provider on a consumer’s access to telecommunications services, or to a feature of those services, that are offered for supply by the provider and includes reducing data speeds or imposing spend controls or other usage limits.
service in operation, on 1 July in a year, means a service that is both:
(a) a telecommunications service; and
(b) an active service on that day.
Note: A service in operation can be pre-paid or post-paid, and it can be the subject of a contract of fixed duration or can be a service without a minimum or maximum term.
sexual violence means sexual behaviour that occurs where consent is not freely given or obtained, is withdrawn or the individual is unable to consent due to their age or other factors. It can be physical or non-physical. It occurs any time an individual is forced, coerced, or manipulated into any sexual activity. It may occur within intimate relationships, friendships or with acquaintances and strangers.
small provider, for a financial year, means a provider with fewer than 30,000 services in operation on 1 July in that financial year.
specialised domestic and family violence training (specialised DFV training) means the training delivered or arranged for by a provider under section 22.
subscription broadcasting service has the same meaning as in the Broadcasting Services Act 1992.
subscription television narrowcasting service has the same meaning as in the Broadcasting Services Act 1992.
support telephone numbers means the following telephone numbers:
1800 Respect 1800 737 732
1800 ElderHelp 1800 353 374
Full Stop 1800 385 578
National Debt Helpline 1800 007 007
National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline 1800 880 052
Rainbow Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Helpline 1800 497 212.
suspension means a suspension imposed by a provider on a consumer’s access to a telecommunications service, apart from access to emergency service numbers.
systems abuse means the manipulation of legal and other systems by a perpetrator, in order to exert control over, threaten or harass another individual which may result in depleting that individual’s financial resources and emotional wellbeing, and adversely impacting that individual’s capacity to maintain employment or to care for children.
technology facilitated abuse means abuse that is facilitated using technology, which may include telecommunications products and services, to control, abuse, track, intimidate, threaten or harass an individual.
telecommunications goods means any goods supplied by a provider for use in connection with the supply of a telecommunications service, whether or not the goods are supplied in conjunction with, or separately from, a telecommunications service.
telecommunications product means telecommunications goods or a telecommunications service.
telecommunications service means:
(a) a listed carriage service or any service supplied by a provider in connection with that service; and
(b) a content service (other than a subscription broadcasting service or a subscription television narrowcasting service) provided by a provider in connection with the supply of a listed carriage service.
TIO means the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.
trauma informed means recognising the prevalence of trauma and its impacts on the emotional, psychological and social well-being of people and communities. Trauma-informed practice means integrating an understanding of past and current experiences of violence and trauma in all aspects of service delivery. The goal of trauma-informed systems is to avoid re-traumatising individuals and to support safety, choice and control to promote healing.
unwelcome communications has the meaning given by the C525 Handling of Life Threatening and Unwelcome Communications Industry Code.
Note: The C525 Handling of Life Threatening and Unwelcome Communications Industry Code can be accessed free of charge on Communications Alliance’s website: https://www.commsalliance.com.au.
warm transfer occurs when a member of the provider’s personnel (the transferor) answers a query from an affected person and transfers the query to another member of the provider’s personnel (the transferee), and:
before transferring the query, to avoid the affected person having to repeat their circumstances.
The transferor may be an individual or an automated computer system.
The transferee must be an individual.
Note: A number of other expressions used in this industry standard are defined in the Act, including the following:
Note: Financial year is defined in the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 to mean a period of 12 months starting on 1 July.
In this industry standard, unless the contrary intention appears:
(a) a reference to any other legislative instrument is a reference to that other legislative instrument as in force from time to time; and
(b) a reference to any other kind of instrument is a reference to that other instrument as in force or existing from time to time.
Note 1: For references to Commonwealth Acts, see section 10 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901; and see also subsection 13(1) of the Legislation Act 2003 for the application of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 to legislative instruments.
Note 2: For references to instruments that are not legislative instruments, see section 589 of the Act.
Note 3: All Commonwealth Acts and legislative instruments are registered on the Federal Register of Legislation which may be accessed free of charge at www.legislation.gov.au.
Where a consumer discloses to a provider that they have experienced non-domestic sexual violence, the provider must treat the consumer as an affected person for the purposes of providing or offering telecommunications support in accordance with the following provisions:
For paragraph 11(1)(e), the provider must make available to an affected person, at least the following support options:
Note: For agreed communication method, see subsection 10(2).
the provider of the telecommunications service must reverse the service limiting action as a matter of urgency, the first time that the affected person contacts the provider and raises the domestic and family violence related safety risk.
Note: For example, if the affected person’s account cannot be reconnected, the provider may offer the affected person a new telecommunications service on the same or equivalent terms.
Note: For example, see sections 65, 67 and 69 of the Telecommunications (Emergency Call Service) Determination 2019 which prohibit the supply of carriage services to a mobile phone that is not configured to be able to access the emergency call service.
before taking credit management action, the provider must:
the transferor must offer a warm transfer to the affected person.
This section ceases to have effect at the end of the day before section 17 of this industry standard applies to the provider.
Note: A third party domestic and family violence support organisation includes 1800 Respect.
on the online written chat function.
Note: See section 2 for commencement information.
Note: A provider may provide additional channels to those mentioned in subsection (1).
Note: See section 2 for commencement information.
Note: For paragraph (b), relevant areas may include, for example, sales, credit collections, financial hardship, fraud, privacy and complaint management.
Note: See section 2 for commencement information.
A provider must monitor and review its DFV policy and its DFV procedures and make any relevant changes to ensure the policy and procedures are fit for purpose:
Note: See section 2 for commencement information. See subsection 4(2) for the application of this section to small providers.
the most senior responsible executive of the provider must review the outcomes of the internal monitoring program developed for subsection (1).
Note: See section 2 for commencement information. See subsection 4(2) for the application of this section to small providers.
A carrier must provide reasonable assistance to enable a provider to comply with the requirement in subsection 25(3).
Where a provider is not subject to the requirements of the Privacy Act 1988, it must ensure that personal information it collects in connection with this industry standard:
Note: Where a provider is subject to the Privacy Act 1988, Australian Privacy Principle 6 in Schedule 1 to that Act will apply to the use or disclosure of personal information it collects in connection with this industry standard.
Note: The Privacy Act 1988 includes obligations on some providers to notify individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner of a notifiable data breach.
This industry standard confers on the TIO the functions and powers of:
consumer complaints about matters referred to in this industry standard.
Note: See section 114 of the Act.