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Policy Overview

On 16 August 2002 the then Minister for Communications, Richard Alston, commissioned the Regional Telecommunications Inquiry (RTI) to report on ‘the ongoing commitment of Telstra to a local presence, such as Telstra Country WideŽ (TCW), in regional, rural and remote Australia. 

In responding to this Term of Reference, the RTI examined the operations of Telstra Country Wide (TCW), the benefits TCW had delivered to regional, rural and remote Australia and the need to require Telstra to retain a local presence, such as that provided by TCW.  The RTI made two recommendations relating to local presence:

RECOMMENDATION 8.1

Telstra should be required to maintain an ongoing local presence in regional, rural and remote Australia. The requirement should only apply to Telstra consistent with its status as the primary universal service provider. The requirement should not be unduly prescriptive or burdensome, and should be broadly compatible with Telstra’s commercial interests.

And

RECOMMENDATION 8.2

Telstra should be required to develop and publish a local presence plan that sets out the range of activities and strategies it would deploy in regional Australia to address the Government’s broad objectives. Telstra would be required to regularly report on its achievements against the plan and to demonstrate to the Government, and to regional communities, that it was providing an effective and beneficial local presence.

The Government agreed that the obligation to maintain Telstra’s local presence in regional, rural and remote Australia should be imposed via a licence condition on the company.

The licence condition provides for a process of planning and development to occur that allows for:

  • the Government to communicate its objectives to Telstra;
  • Telstra to consult with regional, rural and remote stakeholders;
  • a regional, rural and remote local presence plan to be submitted to and approved by the Government; and
  • an approved local presence plan, covering the strategies and activities to be deployed by Telstra, to be put in place that will be monitored and measured for its effectiveness by Government, Telstra and ACMA. 

From the commencement of the licence condition, Telstra has 120 days in which to comply with the requirements to submit a draft local presence plan to the Government for assessment and approval.  This should occur in early December 2005. The Minister provided Telstra with written guidance on August 4 2005 specifying the matters to be addressed in Telstra’s inaugural local presence plan and This link sends you off DCITA's websiteannounced the introduction of a licence condition on Telstra.   

Imposing Telstra’s local presence obligation implements recommendations 8.1 and 8.2 of the This link sends you off DCITA's websiteRTI.

Further information about Telstra’s Regional, Rural and Remote Local Presence is available by calling 1800 883 488 or request it online via the Department's contact form.

  • Document ID: 29765 |
  • Last modified: 18 February 2008, 7:09pm