Telstra believes it has a responsibility to shareholders, consumers, employees and the Australian public to give an insight into how some regulations and administrative practices can impose huge costs or generate unintended consequences.
We are asking for regulatory change, and our regulatory scorecard helps you to understand many of the reasons why.
Our first regulatory scorecard looks at:
Before we get into the details, we’d like to dispel a few myths.
- Telstra does NOT want to water down regulation that supports services to rural and regional Australia. Telstra will always stand behind its commitment to rural and regional Australia. And we think all telecommunications carriers should do the same by paying their fair share.
- Telstra does NOT want to water down consumer protections. Telstra supports consumer protection regulation that applies equally to all industry players.
Our shareholders and consumers need to know the cost of regulation and understand how inappropriate regulations can:
- limit consumer choice
- reduce competition
- increase costs
- disadvantage rural and remote areas; and
- slow the expansion of the nation's telecommunications infrastructure
The regulatory scorecard will regularly be updated to identify new key areas where regulation costs Telstra, its shareholders and consumers. We encourage you to read on, participate in the debate, and tell us what you think.