General Support Statement

1. Regulatory Framework

Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd will conduct its customer support and service operations in accordance with applicable Australian telecommunications and consumer laws, including, where relevant:

• the Telecommunications Act 1997 and related instruments administered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority;
• the Telecommunications (Consumer Complaints Handling) Industry Standard 2018;
• the Telecommunications (Financial Hardship) Industry Standard 2024;
• the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code, including obligations relating to customer communications, advertising and sales information, billing, payment methods, credit assessment, complaint handling, financial hardship, service transfers and changing providers, and any successor ACMA-made consumer protections industry standard that replaces or updates those obligations;
• Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman scheme requirements and Terms of Reference;
• Australian Consumer Law requirements relating to fair trading, misleading or deceptive conduct, consumer guarantees and unfair practices;
• the Privacy Act 1988, Australian Privacy Principles and any applicable telecommunications privacy and data-handling obligations;
• requirements relating to emergency services, public safety, network integrity, security, outage communications, scams, fraud, spam and unlawful use of services, where applicable to the services supplied.

Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd acknowledges that the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code remains the current registered consumer protection code until any replacement ACMA industry standard commences. The company will monitor the development and commencement of any successor standard and update its customer support, sales, billing, training, governance and compliance processes as required. Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd will monitor regulatory updates and review its customer support processes when laws, industry standards, codes or regulator guidance change.

2. Customer Support Commitments

Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd will provide customer support that is professional, accessible, timely and fair. The company will aim to:

• give customers clear, accurate and not misleading information about products, services, prices, fees, contract terms, minimum costs, service limitations, speeds, coverage, equipment requirements, cancellation rights and any material conditions before and during the customer relationship;
• ensure advertising, marketing, sales scripts, website content and customer-facing materials are accurate, balanced and capable of being substantiated, including statements about availability, performance, price, contract terms and service suitability;
• sell services responsibly by taking reasonable steps to ensure products are suitable for the customer’s stated needs and circumstances, and by avoiding sales practices that could result in customers acquiring unsuitable, unaffordable or misrepresented services;
• provide customers with relevant pre-contract information, key service information and any required summaries or disclosures in a way that enables customers to compare offers, understand commitments and make informed decisions;
• communicate in plain language and provide assistance to customers who need help understanding information or using support channels;
• make reasonable adjustments for customers with accessibility needs, language needs, disability, vulnerability, domestic and family violence concerns, financial hardship or other circumstances requiring additional support;
• support customers through service enquiries, billing questions, faults, outages, relocation requests, cancellations, account changes and complaints;
• ensure staff who interact with customers are trained on key legal obligations, complaint-handling requirements, privacy obligations and escalation pathways;
• maintain accurate account, billing, complaint and support records in line with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

3. Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Protections

Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd will maintain customer support practices that prioritise the safety, security and privacy of customers affected by domestic, family or sexual violence. The company will treat a customer who discloses domestic, family or sexual violence, including sexual violence outside a domestic or family violence situation, as an affected person and will provide safe and respectful support. Where a customer raises domestic, family or sexual violence concerns, Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd will take reasonable steps to check that it is safe to engage with the customer and will agree on a safe and preferred communication method. The company will discuss available support options, including changes to account details, contact preferences, authorised representatives, billing arrangements, privacy settings, service restrictions, service transfers and personal information. Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd will not require affected customers to provide evidence of domestic, family or sexual violence unless required by law or necessary to protect the customer. The company will not require affected customers to interact with an alleged perpetrator to manage account transfers, debt issues or service arrangements, and will take steps to avoid requiring customers to repeat sensitive information unnecessarily. Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd will consider customer safety before taking credit management, suspension, restriction, disconnection or debt recovery action where domestic, family or sexual violence has been raised. Where an urgent safety risk is identified, the company will take reasonable steps to reverse or avoid service restriction, suspension or disconnection, or provide an equivalent support option where reconnection is not practical. The company will publish clear information about domestic, family and sexual violence support, maintain internal policies and procedures, train relevant personnel, protect sensitive customer information, retain required records and review its processes in accordance with applicable telecommunications domestic, family and sexual violence consumer protection obligations.

4. Complaints Handling

Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd will maintain a written complaints-handling process that is easy for customers to access and understand. The process will allow customers to make complaints through reasonable contact channels and will explain how complaints are acknowledged, assessed, escalated, resolved and recorded. The company will seek to resolve complaints at first contact wherever possible. Where this is not possible, Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd will provide information about the proposed resolution within required timeframes, prioritise urgent complaints, keep customers informed of progress, record actions taken and monitor complaint trends to identify recurring or systemic issues. Where a complaint cannot be resolved internally, customers will be informed of their right to contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd will cooperate with the TIO process and comply with applicable member obligations.

5. Financial Hardship and Payment Assistance

Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd will support eligible residential, small business and not-for-profit customers who are experiencing, or may be experiencing, financial hardship. The company will maintain accessible payment assistance information and processes, train staff to identify hardship indicators and offer realistic, appropriate and tailored assistance options. Where a customer requests payment assistance, Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd will assess the request fairly and promptly, explain available options, keep appropriate records, and take reasonable steps to keep customers connected where possible. Disconnection, suspension, credit management action and debt recovery will be managed carefully and consistently with applicable hardship, consumer protection and debt collection requirements.

6. Billing, Credit and Account Management

Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd will issue bills and account information that are accurate, clear and understandable. Customers will be provided with reasonable ways to query charges, manage accounts, update details, change services, request cancellation and seek support with billing or payment concerns. The company will apply credit assessment, debt management, collections and account restriction practices fairly and transparently. It will avoid unnecessary hardship, provide customers with relevant information before significant account action is taken and comply with applicable requirements relating to billing disputes, payment options, credit management and debt collection.

7. Privacy, Data Protection and Confidentiality

Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd will handle personal information in accordance with applicable privacy laws and privacy principles. The company will collect, use, store, disclose and secure customer information only where there is a lawful and legitimate business purpose, and will maintain procedures for privacy enquiries, access and correction requests, data security incidents and authorised representative arrangements. Special care will be taken when handling sensitive customer circumstances, including domestic and family violence, vulnerability, hardship, health-related information, identity verification, authorised contacts and safety-related account arrangements.

8. Service Reliability, Faults and Outages

Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd will maintain procedures for receiving, assessing, escalating and communicating about service faults, network issues and outages. Customers will be given appropriate updates where service disruption affects their services, and urgent or safety-related issues will be escalated in accordance with applicable obligations and internal procedures. The company will work with relevant wholesale suppliers, network operators and technology partners where required to investigate and resolve service issues. Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd will maintain records of reported faults, communications, actions taken and outcomes.

9. Compliance Governance and Continuous Improvement

Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd will maintain governance arrangements to support compliance with applicable telecommunications, consumer, privacy and industry obligations. This includes assigning responsibility for compliance oversight, reviewing customer support procedures, monitoring complaints and support trends, maintaining records, training staff and updating policies when regulatory requirements change. The company will cooperate with relevant regulators, industry bodies and dispute resolution schemes, including the Australian Communications and Media Authority, Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Australian Information Commissioner and other authorities where applicable. This statement is intended as a general customer support and compliance commitment. It does not replace Brdy Telecom Australia Pty Ltd’s detailed policies, customer terms, complaints-handling process, privacy policy, financial hardship/payment assistance policy or any legal obligation that applies directly to the company.

Review

This statement will be reviewed at least annually, and sooner if there are material changes to applicable laws, regulatory guidance, industry standards, business operations or customer support processes.