Federal Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy has announced fundamental reforms to existing telecommunications regulations in the interests of Australian consumers and businesses.

These reforms will drive future growth, productivity and innovation across all sectors of the economy by:

• addressing Telstra's high level of integration to promote greater competition and consumer benefits;
• streamlining and simplifying the competition regime to provide more certain and quicker outcomes for telecommunications companies;
• strengthening consumer safeguards to ensure services standards are maintained at a high level; and
• removing redundant and inefficient regulatory red-tape.

"For years industry has been calling for fundamental and historic micro-economic reform in telecommunications. Today we are delivering this outcome in Australia's long term national interest," Senator Conroy said.

In line with the Government's commitments to address impediments to Australia's long-term productivity growth, it will remove unnecessary regulatory burden on the industry.

The reforms are supported by the overwhelming majority of the submissions received in response to the National Broadband Network: Regulatory Reform for 21st Century Broadband Discussion Paper released by the Government on 7 April 2009.

17 September, 2009