Industry standards on telemarketing

Did you know that there’s a standard that all organisations (including registered charities) must follow when making telemarketing and research calls?

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) administers the Telemarketing and Research Industry Standard.

Registered charities are exempt from Do Not Call obligations, meaning they are allowed to conduct telemarketing to numbers on the Do Not Call Register, however all organisations are subject to rules set out in the standard.

The standard covers:

• when telemarketing calls are permitted,
• when they must be terminated, and
• what information must be given by the caller.

Callers must provide certain information to recipients, including the purpose of the call, who the telemarketing is on behalf of and, if requested, business contact details and the name of the telemarketing company involved.

ACMA recently conducted public consultations aimed at updating the standard, with possible changes to the rules coming into force as soon as 1 April 2017.

Calls must not be made at the following times:

Research Calls	Telemarketing Calls
Weekdays
Before 9am or after 8pm	Before 9am or after 8pm
Saturday
Before 9am or after 5pm	Before 9am or after 5pm
Sunday
Before 9am or after 5pm	Calls prohibited
National Public Holidays
Calls prohibited	Calls Prohibited