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BBIX Australia Pty Ltd (ACN 612 345 678) (LUNET™)
This Payment Assistance Policy was created in accordance with our obligations under the Telecommunications (Financial Hardship) Industry Standard 2024 ("Standard"). In this policy, "we", "our" and "us" are all references to BBIX Australia Pty Ltd (ACN 612 345 678) (LUNET™).
This Payment Assistance Policy applies exclusively to telecommunications goods and services that we supply to you, provided that you are a consumer of those goods or services for the purposes of the Standard.
Please contact our Financial Hardship Team using the contact details set out below if you require a copy of this policy in a format that meets your specific disability or language needs. We will make available all updates and amendments to this Payment Assistance Policy. We will provide a copy of this Payment Assistance Policy to you, free of charge, upon your request.
The Standard defines financial hardship as a situation where:
We understand that payment for telecommunications services may be difficult to maintain during periods of financial hardship. Our goal is to prioritise customers facing financial hardship to ensure they remain connected to the telecommunications services that we provide to them. We will only disconnect customers experiencing financial hardship as a measure of last resort, and in all cases, in accordance with this Payment Assistance Policy and the Standard. Each application for financial hardship assistance is assessed by us on a case-by-case basis in accordance with this Payment Assistance Policy, and we may provide temporary or long-term assistance, depending on the individual circumstances of the customer.
If you are experiencing financial hardship, we encourage you to get in touch with us. If you need an interpreter, you can contact us by telephone using the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) by calling 131 450. If you have a hearing or speech impairment, please call us through the National Relay Service. For any financial hardship matters or enquiries concerning this Payment Assistance Policy, you can contact our Financial Hardship Team, who are fully trained in applying and processing this Payment Assistance Policy and will treat you with courtesy and respect. Our Financial Hardship Team can be contacted via the following channels:
The following steps are involved in any application for financial hardship arrangements by customers of our telecommunications services:
Step 1: Apply for Financial Hardship Assessment
If you would like to apply for financial hardship assistance with your telecommunications services or in respect of any money owing to us, please complete the Financial Hardship Application Form (below) and submit any accompanying documents via:
Upon receipt of your completed form, or your formal request for financial hardship assistance, we will assess your eligibility for financial assistance using the information provided to us.
Step 2: Financial Hardship Assessment
We may need to ask you questions about your situation, your financial circumstances and the telecommunication services that you require. When conducting an assessment, we may also ask you to provide certain information and documentation to us, such as:
We will only request information and documentation where it is strictly necessary for us and where we are legally permitted to do so. We will not request documentation from you relevant to our assessment that is unduly onerous on you.
Required information and documentation can be provided to us via:
Customers seeking short-term assistance (a period of no more than 3 billing cycles) or victim-survivors of domestic or family violence do not need to provide us with information or documentation to demonstrate that they are experiencing financial hardship. This exception applies unless it appears that the arrangement will need to be for long-term assistance (a period of more than 3 billing cycles) and the total amount to be repaid is more than $1000, or you have been a customer of ours for less than 2 months, or we believe on reasonable grounds that there is a possibility of fraud.
We will only request information or documentation from you if it is strictly necessary to conduct our assessment, and we will only retain that information for the period required to complete the assessment of your eligibility. If you do not wish to provide us with a copy of the information or documentation via one of the above listed ways, please contact our Financial Hardship Team to set up an audio-visual link or an in-person meeting to present the information and documentation to us. Please contact the Financial Hardship Team if you would like to discuss our request for information or documentation further.
Any information provided to us during a financial hardship assessment is kept strictly confidential. We will, in undertaking the assessment, take into account your individual circumstances and its specific merits. We may use the information you provide, as well as other information available to us, in determining your eligibility for a financial hardship arrangement under this policy. If you do not provide us with the information that we reasonably request in accordance with our obligations for the purposes of considering your application, we may decide not to conduct the assessment. If the information provided by you is not sufficient to make an assessment, we will inform you of any additional information that is reasonably required by us to make the assessment. If you are unable to provide such information, we may refuse your application.
We do not charge any fees for conducting assessments or for implementing any agreed financial hardship arrangements.
We seek to assess your eligibility for assistance under this policy in a fair and timely manner. Assessments regarding eligibility for assistance under this policy will be made within 5 business days after receipt of your completed application (including any further requested information and documentation). We will notify you of the outcome of your application within 2 business days of completing the assessment of the application.
PLEASE NOTE: Providing false, inaccurate or misleading information may result in the immediate cancellation of your financial hardship assessment or active arrangement.
Step 3: Financial Hardship Arrangements
If you meet our eligibility criteria for financial hardship arrangements, we will work with you to agree on a financial hardship arrangement that allows you to pay your bills for the telecommunications services in a way that you and we both consider to be suitable. We will offer options including temporarily postponing, extending or deferring the time for paying a bill, as well as payment plans which are tailored to meet your ability to pay. Some other options that we may consider implementing under a financial hardship arrangement to keep you connected to our services include:
We will ensure that any financial hardship arrangement agreed with you is sufficiently flexible to take into account your individual circumstances. If we agree on an arrangement that we will apply to your telecommunications services, we will confirm this in writing via letter or email to the email or postal address that you have provided to us. Arrangements will not commence unless you indicate your explicit acceptance. We will notify you in writing within 2 business days of you and us coming to an agreement about an arrangement.
The notification will set out the duration (or review date) of the arrangement, the amount and frequency of any payments and service restrictions, your rights and obligations in relation to the arrangement (including your obligation to promptly notify us if your circumstances change during the term of the arrangement, and your right to seek a review if your circumstances change during the term of the arrangement), and the specific credit management arrangements that will be undertaken (if required) during the period of the arrangement.
You and we must comply fully with any agreed arrangement, and we will review any arrangement if you notify us that your circumstances have changed.
We will not take any credit management action while a financial hardship arrangement under this policy is being discussed or has been actively applied for. We will also not take any credit management action while a financial hardship arrangement is in place unless:
We will treat all applicants for financial hardship with the utmost respect. Our Financial Hardship Team are strictly required to adhere to the following standards:
If you wish to seek a review of the outcome of your financial hardship assessment or if you are not satisfied with how you have been treated throughout the financial hardship assessment process, you can lodge a formal complaint through the process set out in our Complaints Handling Policy located on our website. Our Complaints Handling Policy explains how to lodge a complaint, how we identify urgent and ordinary complaints, our response timeframes for the acknowledgement, assessment and proposed resolution of a complaint, and how complaints are assessed, resolved and closed.
You can also make a complaint to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman ("TIO") if you seek external independent complaint handling. The TIO's official contact details are as follows:
Your making of a complaint, whether to us or to the TIO, will not prevent you from agreeing to an arrangement for receiving financial hardship assistance.
If you are experiencing financial hardship, you may wish to receive assistance from a qualified financial counsellor. Financial counsellors are trained to provide remedial, preventative and advocacy services for people in financial distress. The professional financial counselling services listed below are completely confidential, independent and provided free of charge.
You can talk to a financial counsellor from the National Debt Helpline from anywhere in Australia by ringing 1800 007 007 (available between the hours of 9.30am – 4.30pm, Mondays to Fridays). This number will automatically route through to the service in the State or Territory closest to you. More information can be found by visiting https://ndh.org.au/.
Other independent support organisations that may assist you include:
| Organisation | Contact Details |
|---|---|
| 1800 RESPECT | Phone: 1800 737 732 | Website: www.1800respect.org.au |
| Lifeline | Phone: 13 11 14 | Website: www.lifeline.org.au |
| Beyond Blue | Phone: 1300 224 636 | Website: www.beyondblue.org.au |
| Way Forward | Phone: 1300 045 502 | Website: wayforward.org.au |
| Wesley Mission Financial Counselling | Phone: 1300 827 638 | Website: www.wesleymission.org.au |
| Gambler's Help | Phone: 1800 858 858 | Website: www.gamblinghelponline.org.au |
| Mensline | Phone: 1300 789 978 | Website: mensline.org.au |
| Australian Competition and Consumer Commission | Phone: 1300 302 502 | Website: www.accc.gov.au |
| Counselling Online | Online Text Chat Only | Website: www.counsellingonline.org.au |
| Centrelink (Services Australia) | Phone: 132 850 (Employment Services Line) | Website: www.servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| MoneySmart (ASIC initiative) | Phone: 1300 300 630 (ASIC Infoline Desk) | Website: moneysmart.gov.au |
| The Salvation Army | Phone: 13 72 58 (National Assessment Hotline) | Website: www.salvationarmy.org.au |
You can read our full, non-redacted Payment Assistance Policy on our digital portal at https://lunet.net.au/en/ or contact our team to discuss your options or if you need additional information.
BBIX Australia Pty Ltd (ACN 612 345 678) (LUNET™)
Please complete this form in full and return it via email to lunet-admin@lunet.net.au or via post to Level 3, 696 Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC 3000.
Details of Financial Hardship Request
Expected Period of Assistance Required:
□ Short-term Assistance (0 - 3 Months)
□ Long-term Assistance (More than 3 Months)
Please provide a brief description of the circumstances leading to this application:
Note: Financial hardship occurs when an individual is genuinely unable to discharge outstanding liabilities due to reasonable causes such as illness, unemployment, low income, transitional changes, natural disasters, or family violence. We do not require secondary evidence for victim-survivors of domestic violence or short-term relief requests under standard parameters.
Customer Declaration:
□ I hereby declare that the information provided in this application form is completely true, accurate, and correct to the best of my knowledge.
Applicant Name (Printed): ______________________ Signature / Date: ______________________
You can read our full, non-redacted Payment Assistance Policy on our digital portal at https://lunet.net.au/en/ or contact our team to discuss your options or if you need additional information.