Joining the scheme

Membership with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Limited (the TIO) is the not-for-profit company that runs the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman scheme (TIO scheme).

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman’s purpose is to provide a fair, independent, and accessible dispute resolution service for the telecommunications industry that complies with Benchmarks for Industry-Based Customer Dispute Resolution. We are committed to fostering and maintaining a positive working relationship with our members.

Membership with the TIO is a requirement under Sections 128 and 132 of the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999 (TCPSS Act) for all carriers and eligible carriage service providers.

Joining the TIO Scheme

Under Sections 128 and 132 of the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Services Standards) Act 1999 (TCPSS Act), all carriers and eligible carriage service providers must join and comply with the TIO Scheme.

This document sets out the actions the TIO will take when;
Failure or refusal by a carrier or carriage service provider to join the TIO Scheme; and
Failure of a member of the Scheme to comply with the TIO Scheme.

To apply for membership to the TIO Scheme, please click below.

Apply for TIO membership

Your membership with the TIO

As a TIO member, you gain access to a range of valuable support and insights designed to assist you with your complaint handling and customer service practices. These benefits include:

Opportunities to resolve complaints early – We work with you to help resolve issues directly with your customers whenever possible minimising escalations and improving outcomes. Our goal is to connect you and your customer quickly and effectively, supporting complaint resolution and helping to build stronger, more positive relationships.
Detailed complaint reporting – Regular, in-depth reports help you understand the types of complaints you’re receiving and assist with identifying complaint trends.
Best practice guidance – We offer practical resources to support effective complaint handling, including webinars, training sessions, and open forum Q&A events. These resources are designed to keep you informed and empowered to manage customer concerns confidently and efficiently.
Systemic issue investigations – We investigate broader issues that may impact many consumers, helping you stay ahead of potential risks.
Ongoing updates and insights – Stay informed with regular updates on changes to our processes, relevant laws, and industry developments.

Membership fees structure

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) is an industry-funded, independent dispute resolution service.

Annually the TIO Board approves the TIO Budget for the next financial year. This includes how the funding from fees will be structured.

For financial year 2025, the Board determined that funding from Members would comprise:

a Membership Fee – covering 70% (FY26) of the annual Operational Costs of the TIO scheme, and
a Case Fee – covering the remaining 28% (FY26) of the annual Operational Costs.

Membership fees:

The FY26 membership fees for all members are calculated and based on the number of Referral complaints received as a proportion of total Referral complaints in the previous calendar year.

Members with nil or minimal complaints in the previous calendar year (including new members who have joined) are charged a membership fee fixed at $400 (excl. GST).

Case fees:

Case fees are separately invoiced each month for the work the TIO has performed handling complaints.

The Case Fee schedule for FY26 can be viewed in the Member Portal.

If Members do not pay TIO fees within required timeframes, TIO may refer those members for debt recovery. In those circumstances, TIO may take further action including:

credit default listing;
issuing legal proceedings; and
referral for non-compliance with the TIO scheme to the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Failure or refusal to join the Scheme

If we become aware that a carrier or carriage service provider is not a member, but should be, we contact that organisation and ask it to become a member by joining the TIO Scheme.

We will send all necessary forms to the organisation and answer any questions it has about membership.

We expect the organisation to join the TIO Scheme within 5 business days of our request.

If the organisation has not applied to join the TIO Scheme after 5 business days, we will send a reminder and give another 5 business days to complete the process of joining. The reminder will warn the organisation that we will refer it to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) if it does not join the TIO Scheme within the additional 10 business days.

If an organisation refuses to join the TIO Scheme or does not respond within 10 business days of our request for it to join the TIO Scheme, we will refer the organisation to the ACMA.

Failure to comply with the TIO Scheme

Upon joining the TIO Scheme, carriers and carriage service providers become members. Members agree to be bound by and to comply with the TIO Constitution, which incorporates the TIO Terms of Reference.

Members are required to comply with the requirements of the TIO Scheme, including the payment of fees.

Failure to pay fees within the required timeframes constitutes non-compliance with the TIO Scheme. (See section 132 of the TCPSS Act.) If members do not pay our fees within the required timeframes, we may refer those members for debt recovery. In those circumstances, TIO may take further action including:

credit default listing;
issuing legal proceedings; and
referral for non-compliance with the TIO scheme to the ACMA.

Contact Us

Our Member Services team is dedicated to supporting members with their enquiries on membership with the TIO, assisting in providing information on our processes, and ensuring their membership information is accurate and up to date.

To contact Member Services please email or call 03 8680 8424.