The Australian government proposed laws to strengthen the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) enforcement powers with the aim of better protecting consumers.

Australia’s proposed reform measures include amendments to the Telecommunications Act 1997 and would also raise penalties for breaches, with the maximum for not following industry codes and standards to increase from AUD250,000 ($157,200) to as much as AUD10 million.

Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland wrote in a post: “The significant reforms included in this bill will better equip the ACMA with the tools and powers it needs to protect telco consumers and hold providers to account.”

She added the changes provide a powerful deterrent by incentivising operators to educate themselves about their obligations to consumers.

Rowland explained the laws would empower ACMA to take direct and immediate enforcement action against telecoms providers which breach their obligations to customers under industry codes.

The change would remove the current two-step process requiring ACMA to first issue a direction to comply to the offending operator regardless of the significance the breach and only take further action if non-compliance continues, she added.

ACMA would be able to take “quick and appropriate action” in response to breaches to immediately address consumer harm, the government stated.

Additional changes would allow future penalties to be based on the value of the benefit gained by a breach or the turnover of the relevant provider, allowing for penalties of more than AUD10 million in certain circumstances.

The bill also would raise the visibility of providers operating in the market, particularly retailers, by establishing a carrier service provider registration scheme.