Optus, Primus, AAPT and Macquarie Corporate today unveiled a joint submission to the Federal Government aimed at achieving price certainty for all participants in the telecommunications industry.

The submission has been put to Government ahead of a Senate Committee hearing in Sydney tomorrow examining legislative changes to the Trade Practices Act.

The submission makes two key points:

1. The Federal Government should act to prevent the current Telstra appeal to the Australian Competition Tribunal (ACT), a body that has never heard a telecommunications dispute before. The Government should set rates equal to Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) determined prices up to July 2002 in line with international best practice. It has taken the ACCC four years to set the current prices and the ACT appeal seeks to destroy that work; and
2. The Government should abolish appeals to the ACT so this problem never arises again.

The companies said the reasoning behind their submission revolved around the following points:

• There has been no price certainty for four years ? and unless the Government acts there will be uncertainty for another two years;
• There is a real risk that Telstra will re-monopolise the industry if its appeal is successful;
• Uncertainty is killing off investment, competition and choice for consumers;
• The current Trade Practices Act creates a full Merits Review - a duplicative and unnecessary process; and Other access regimes (such as gas and electricity) do not have a Merits Review.

For more information:

Stephen Woodhill
Optus
Phone: 02 9342 7850

Jessamy Mahony
AAPT
Phone: 02 9377 7916

George Hazim
Primus
Phone: 03 9923 3571
Mobile: 0417 516 184

Maha Krishnapillai
Macquarie Corporate
Phone: 03 9206 6883
Mobile: 0411 686 867