Telco DFV protections
A guide for financial counsellors and community workers
This guide
This is a guide to the legal protections for telco consumers who are, or may be, experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence (DFV). The guide provides practical advice to financial counsellors and community workers to support their clients to access these protections. Consumers will also find this guide useful for a comprehensive understanding of telco DFV protections.
The legal protections are set out by the Telecommunications (Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Consumer Protections) Industry Standard 2025 (the Standard). The Standard will commence in full on 1 January 2026 for large telco providers and on 1 April 2026 for small telco providers.
Some obligations in the Standard commence on 1 July 2025. These include a requirement for providers to urgently reverse service limiting actions where there is a DFV safety risk, ensure affected persons are not required to engage with the perpetrator, and publish DFV support information on their website.
What to expect from a provider
In summary, when an affected person contacts their provider and raises DFV concerns, they can expect that the provider will:
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Confirm it is safe to engage when initiating a conversation
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Connect them with a specialised DFV team where possible
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Offer to set up safe communication methods
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Not ask for details or evidence in relation to abuse, except in limited cases
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Not ask them to contact or engage with the perpetrator
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Be able to set up a new account not linked to the perpetrator
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Discuss options to address their privacy, safety and security concerns in relation to their telecommunications service and account
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Urgently reverse restriction, suspension or disconnection
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Not restrict, suspend or disconnect them if they have recently sought assistance, unless disconnection is requested
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Be able to provide financial hardship assistance.