2002/03 Annual Report

Profile Of Complainant - State Distribution of Complaints

• State Distribution of Complaints (per 1000 population)
• City or Country
• Complaints by Remoteness Area – National (per 1000 population)

The TIO uses state distribution statistics as an indication of awareness levels of the TIO across Australia. Ideally the statistics will show an even spread across Australia, indicating adequate awareness levels regardless of geographical factors. In reality, community awareness of the TIO, and of consumer rights in general, varies greatly from state to state, and is dependent on numerous factors, such as local media coverage of telecommunications issues, TIO public awareness activities in the local area, and, on occasion, the reliability and service level being offered by local telephone and Internet service providers.

The state distribution of complaints data for 2002/03 shows that the highest number of complaints per capita were received from residents of South Australia, Victoria and the ACT. Complaints from residents of the Northern Territory and Western Australia were few in comparison. Complaints from NSW, the most populous state were spot on average.

National Average 2.63

City or Country

In 2002/03, the TIO became one of the first organisations to trial a new Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) tool allowing for classification of complaint data via the Australian Standard Geographical Classification. The data supplied by the ABS divides Australia into five broad regions – Major Cities of Australia, Inner Regional Australia, Outer Regional Australia, Remote Australia and Very Remote Australia – and distributes the TIO’s complaint data according to postcode and/or locality name.

According to the ABS, the five regions represent relative remoteness in terms of how far people must travel to access a full range of goods and services. For example, people living in major cities are relatively close to a full range of services while people living in very remote areas must travel considerable distances to access some services.

The TIO’s regional data for 2002/03 has been standardised according to population. The national averages for complaints by remoteness area (displayed below) shows that fewer than 1 person in every 1000 people living in the very remote areas of Australia made a complaint to the TIO in 2002/03, compared to 3 in every 1000 people living in inner regional and metropolitan areas. These figures are most likely an indication that people living in outer regional, remote and very remote areas are not as well educated about their consumer rights as people living in inner regional areas and large cities.

In the interests of tracking, and ultimately enhancing, awareness levels in regional and remote areas, the TIO intends publishing a complete set of regionalised complaint statistics annually at the beginning of each calendar year. The first set of regionalised data was published in March 2003.

> NEXT Profile Of Complainant - Small Business Complaints