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Data retention laws start today, but companies want more time

Grants to help providers comply with requirements were not finalised until September.

Grants to help providers comply with requirements were not finalised until September. Photo: ABC

Telecommunications companies are calling for another grace period to comply with the Federal Government’s controversial data retention laws, which come into effect today.

The laws force telecommunications companies to keep records of phone and internet use for two years and allow security agencies to access data for counter-terrorism and serious crime investigations.

The policy was announced by the Abbott government in 2014 and passed Parliament in March 2015 after the government was forced to make concessions on whistleblower and other privacy protections.

The deadline for companies to comply with the retention scheme is today, but close to $130 million in grants allocated by the Federal Government to help providers comply with the requirements were not finalised until September last year.

“The resulting timeframe put many service providers under immense pressure to complete the work to enable them to comply with this onerous regime within the deadline,” the Communication Alliance’s chief executive John Stanton said.

“The Government should acknowledge that these delays have made timely compliance more difficult to achieve.”

Mr Stanton said the Attorney-General’s Department had been writing to telcos to remind them of the deadline.

“The Attorney-General should publicly commit that no action will be taken post-deadline against any service provider that is genuinely working to comply with the regime, but has been disadvantaged by the slow pace of decision-making,” he said.

“Government should focus in the short term on a cooperative approach to helping service providers meet their compliance obligation — rather than purely on enforcement.”

The Attorney-General’s Department has been contacted for comment.

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