Local councils in Tasmania will vote on Friday on a motion to support Keep Me Posted (KMP) – the consumer campaign against banks and utility companies who charge customers for receiving paper bills and statements in the mail.
KMP already has the support of four local councils in Victoria, including Monash, Hume and Maribyrnong, and one in Tasmania, as it prepares to take the campaign nationwide.
"We are fingers and toes crossed for the Local Government Association of Tasmania to pass the motion," says Kellie Northwood, executive director, KMP. "Following Devonport’s example, we hope that Tasmania becomes the first state to promote the consumer’s right to choose, leading the rest of Australia.”
Devonport City Council in northern Tasmania last Monday voted in favour of a similar motion that asks councils to “endorse the activities of the Keep Me Posted Campaign, which is raising awareness about the tendency of large corporates charging people who still wish to receive a paper version of information or bills.”
With banks, telcos and other service providers increasing pressure on customers to switch to electronic bills and statements by charging a fee for paper communications, many Tasmanians are left footing the bill, says a statement from KMP.
Studies show it is the most vulnerable who are impacted the most with 57% of households earning less than $40,000 not having access to the internet and only 51% of Australians over 65 being internet users.
Tasmania is one of the most affected States by the digital divide. The Australian Digital Inclusion Index released in August 2016 reveals that Tasmania is the least digitally included State of Australia. With a score of 48.2, it is 6.3 points below the national average.
Keep Me Posted calls on corporations’ social responsibility and asks them to remove ‘pay-to-pay’ penalties for consumers. The campaign is lobbying for consumers to not be charged any fees for bills or statements whether issued on paper or digitally.
"We have written to all the Local Councils of Tasmania to give them insights on the campaign and invite them to discuss with us prior to the vote," says Northwood, "We also invite our Tasmanian supporters to write to their local representatives. It's important that Tasmanians let their Mayors and local government representatives know how they feel about fees for bills and statements and how those affect them and their relatives.
"Victoria and Tasmania are the first states where we've engaged local councils and we will next be speaking with councils in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia.
A public forum in Devonport in September, hosted by Senator Urquhart, gathered about 50 residents, representatives of charities and political representatives to discuss the impact of the digital divide and unfair fee practices.
The Keep Me Posted (KMP) campaign, launched in Canberra in April, represents advocate groups, charities, consumer groups, employer and employee representatives, industry and political representatives who believe in the right to choose the way companies communicate with them. KMP believes every consumer should be able to choose, without penalty, how they prefer to be communicated to via banks, utility companies and other services providers.