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The Fairness Project Team is creating a vision for evaluating fairness at the TIO, and a methodology to measure the concept. The Team is currently trialling a series of questions emailed to a consumer or member at the end of a process. The questions are different for members and consumers, and are dependent on the stage of the complaint (for example, after referral or case management). All responses are anonymous.

Consumers made 31,297 new complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman in the January-March 2016 quarter, the TIO reports today.

The result was a 32.8 per cent increase from the previous quarter, but a 5.6 per cent decrease from the same time last year.

"January-March is traditionally the TIO's busiest quarter, but we are experiencing a sharper than usual increase this year," Ombudsman Judi Jones said. "Overall, complaints are continuing to trend down."

Our submission to the Department of Communications and the Arts - Review of the 2015 Telecommunications in New Developments Policy January 2020 can be found here.

Reflect RAP is the first of four stages – Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate – which allow organisations to continuously develop stronger commitments.

In the Reflect stage, the TIO must scope and develop relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders, decide on a vision for reconciliation, and explore their sphere of influence.

So far, the TIO have implemented the following action items from our plan:

Awareness of the TIO has increased by almost 60 per cent over the past four years according to the latest edition of TIO Talks, released today. A survey of 1,000 consumers conducted in late 2012 found that 57 per cent were aware of the TIO, compared to 36 per cent in 2008.

“Consumers must know about the TIO if they are to use our services. Increased awareness of the TIO improves our effectiveness and makes TIO services available to more Australians,” said Ombudsman Simon Cohen.

Update 10 January 2023

Joining members to a complaint

Following stakeholder consultation, we are continuing to work on the approach to joining members (telcos) to complaints. Further updates on this will be available later in 2023. 

Update July 2022

Device and equipment guidance released 

The modernised Terms of Reference, effective from 1 January 2022, preserved the TIO’s jurisdiction to consider complaints about telecommunications equipment.

Many people don't raise complaints with their telco, and for those who do, the process is lengthy and frustrating.

This research paper outlines survey findings commissioned by the TIO and undertaken by the CPRC to understand who experiences challenges with telco services in Australia and what the complaints experience is like for them.

The CPRC’s research reports:

Read the submission (PDF, 361KB)

The proposed TCP Code improves on the current code, but it falls short of meeting community expectations for an essential services sector. Significant changes are required to ensure a strong consumer protection framework that will benefit both consumers and the telco industry.

Judi detailed how, due to the shutdown of overseas call centres, many telcos struggled to respond to their customers in the early stages of the pandemic, and this was the source of many financial issues for consumers. In this period, the TIO saw a 1500% year-on-year increase in consumers unable to contact their telco about an internet issue.