Australia Targets Telecom Scams, Emergency Services in New Enforcement Agenda

Key Takeaways

• Consumer Harm Drives Enforcement: The regulator's 2026–27 priorities concentrate on areas where industry failures present the greatest risk to Australians.
• Emergency Services and Scam Prevention: Compliance with Triple Zero requirements and efforts to disrupt branded SMS scams will receive heightened enforcement attention.
• Protections for Vulnerable Consumers: Telecommunications providers will face continued scrutiny over safeguards for customers experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence.

Deep Dive

Australia's communications regulator has chosen its battles for the coming year, and the list says as much about where consumer harm is emerging as it does about where regulators believe industry performance still falls short. The Australian Communications and Media Authority's compliance and enforcement priorities for 2026–27 place emergency communications, telecommunications scams, consumer protections, and mobile device compliance at the center of its agenda.

The annual program targets areas the regulator considers to present the greatest risk to Australians if industry obligations are not met. For consumers, the priorities touch services that have become so embedded in daily life that they are often noticed only when they fail. For telecommunications providers, they offer a clear indication of where enforcement scrutiny is likely to be concentrated over the next year.

"Our communications services sit at the centre of Australians' economic and social lives," ACMA Chair Nerida O'Loughlin said in announcing the priorities. "Consumers expect more from these services than ever before. And they want more help in getting access to services and stronger protections if things go wrong."

A Focus on High-Impact Risks

The regulator's five annual priorities span both long-standing operational responsibilities and newer regulatory obligations.

They include disrupting branded SMS scams, enforcing compliance with Triple Zero emergency calling and public safety requirements, regulating mobile phone equipment, ensuring telecommunications providers meet safeguards for customers experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence, and overseeing implementation of reforms governing gambling advertising.

Each reflects a different dimension of communications regulation. Some concern the resilience of critical infrastructure, others the integrity of consumer protections or the technical standards underpinning communications networks. Together, they reveal a regulator placing greater emphasis on failures that can produce immediate and tangible harm.

O'Loughlin said enforcement would remain focused on situations where industry falls short, whether that means ensuring Australians can reach Triple Zero during an emergency, preventing scam messages from reaching consumers, or protecting vulnerable customers entitled to specific regulatory safeguards.

Annual Priorities, Long-Term Enforcement

The annual agenda sits alongside three enduring compliance priorities that continue to guide the authority's broader enforcement strategy: preventing gambling harm, combating spam and telecommunications scams, and protecting vulnerable telecommunications customers.

The regulator said the 2026–27 priorities were developed following a public consultation process and are intended to direct resources toward the areas posing the highest risk to consumers. They do not replace its wider regulatory responsibilities.

"These priorities identify areas of particular focus for the year ahead, but they do not limit the ACMA's work," O'Loughlin said. "We will continue to take action across all our regulatory responsibilities where we identify serious or systemic non-compliance."

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