Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill 2025

The majority voted against an amendment to the usual second reading motion, which is "that the bill be read a second time" (parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea of the bill). This means the usual second reading motion will remain unchanged. The amendment had been introduced by Lindsay MP Melissa McIntosh (Liberal).

Amendment text

That all words after “That” be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

“whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House notes the Government’s telecommunications failure:

(1) on the botched closure of the 3G network that has left many Australians without telephone services in peri-urban, regional, rural and remote Australia;

(2) to respond to the 2024 Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee Report which was tabled in December last year to ensure regional communities have access to reliable telecommunications; and

(3) to release the consultation paper on the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation, despite committing to legislate this by the end of 2025”.