Operators in Australia received fewer customer complaints in the year to end-June, but the average time required to resolve grievances rose 22 per cent, figures from country’s communications and media regulator showed.

A report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found complaints fell 18.2 per cent year-on-year to 1.1 million, while the time to resolve an issue increased from ten days to 12.2 days.

In a statement, ACMA member Fiona Cameron noted rules it introduced in fiscal 2018-19 contributed to a drop in complaints by 35 per cent over the past two years. She noted, however operators needed 49 per cent more time to fix a problem over the timeframe.

“The time taken to resolve complaints is going in the wrong direction, and 1 million complaints a year is still far too many,” Cameron stated.

Theere was also a rise in the percentage of unresolved complaints sent to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, from 9.3 per cent to 10.7 per cent.

Cameron suggested the rise means some operators are not handling complaints well.

“We think it’s time for every telco to make its complaints handling performance public and transparent. This would allow consumers to make more informed decisions when choosing a provider.”

The report covered 32 operators.