Contacts

National Relay Service
Tel: 1800 555 630 (TTY)
Tel: 1800 555 660 (voice)
Fax: 1800 555 690 (fax)
Website: National Relay Service.

National relay service

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National Relay Service (NRS) is a telephone access service available to all Australians. If you are deaf, or have a hearing and/or speech impairment, you can contact anyone in the wider telephone network through the NRS. Similarly, the NRS can be used by anyone in the community to communicate with those who are deaf, or have a hearing and/or speech impairment using the standard telephone service.

When you call someone via the NRS, a Relay Officer will assist with your call. You can type and read your conversation entirely via a TTY or a computer with a modem. In some cases, the Relay Officer will become 'your voice' and read out loud your conversation to the other person. The Relay Officer will then listen to the response and type it back for you to read.

The service is confidential and is provided at no additional cost to consumers. The NRS is funded by a quarterly levy on eligible telecommunications carriers, under Part 3 of the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999. The method for calculating each carrier's NRS levy contribution for a quarter is set out in the Act.

The NRS comprises two components: the relay service that provides for the relaying of calls, and the outreach service that promotes increased awareness and acceptance of the relay service, offers information, and provides support and training to NRS users and potential users.

Australian Communication Exchange (ACE) provides the Relay Service and WestWood Spice provides the Outreach Service under contracts with the Commonwealth.

Both ACE and WestWood Spice are required to prepare a plan each year agreeing to certain services and standards for the delivery of the NRS and Outreach Service. Currently these obligations are:

Relay Service	Outreach Service
24 hour availability and operation of the NRS;	provision of core education and information through a Community Education team across Australia;
provision of specified NRS services;	provision of information and training support in relation to specific improvements in the Relay Service (e.g. the introduction of Internet Relay; the introduction of automated call function); and
provision of a text emergency service;	achievement of outreach service performance standards.
achievement of relay service performance standards; and
the introduction of Internet Relay in 2007.

Visit National Relay Service for more information

Document ID: 3524 |
Last modified: 6 February 2008, 12:19pm