Australia - Telecoms after the elections

Synopsis

The Australian voters have spoken – clearly giving the Coalition a mandate for another term of government. Even before the close of Election Day it became clear that the sale of Telstra would quickly rise to the top of the government’s list of priorities. However, before this happens, there are two issues that need to be addressed – regional infrastructure and regulatory safeguards for Telstra’s competitors. This report examines the issues, analyses the current situation and makes suggestions for possible regulatory changes. The outcome of the matters at present before the ACCC, such as ULL and the broadband competition notice, will be a good indication of what changes are required to the regime.