Priority assistance for consumers with diagnosed life-threatening medical conditions
Priority assistance is an enhanced telephone connection and repair service for people diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition and at risk of suffering a rapid, life-threatening deterioration in their condition. To ensure these customers receive the highest level of service, the Communications Alliance Ltd Priority Assistance Code was established to deliver consistent, industry-wide arrangements that provide assistance to residential customers with a diagnosed life-threatening medical condition.
The Priority Assistance Code specifies the minimum requirements for telephone companies offering these services including requirements for connection, fault rectification, reliability of residential standard telephone services, provision of interim services and wholesale arrangements.
Communications Alliance Ltd—C609:2007 Priority Assistance for Life Threatening Medical Conditions.
AAPT and Primus offer priority assistance services in accordance with the Priority Assistance Code.
Telstra is required to offer priority assistance services to its customers as a condition of its telecommunications carrier licence (see the relevent acts, regulations and other legislative instruments page on this website). Telstra's carrier licence condition requires it to develop and implement a policy which has the following objectives:
- ensure that eligible customers are given the highest level of service practically available (including 24 and 48 hour maximum time frames for service connection, fault repair and interim service provision)
- provide enhanced service reliability and fault rectification including where the customer has two or more reported faults in a three-month period
- undertake a communications campaign to ensure eligible customers and doctors are informed of priority services
- review customer management and other systems for priority services, and
- provide specialised credit management processes for eligible customers.
In accordance with the licence condition, Telstra has a priority assistance policy approved by the Minister. The approved policy is published by Telstra as a part of its Universal Service Obligation Standard Marketing Plan (SMP).
The SMP and priority assistance policy are available on the websites of the Australian Communications and Media Authority and Telstra (see links below), or by calling Telstra on 13 22 00.
