Latest news with #MarkHolden
SBS Australia
20-06-2025
- Business
- SBS Australia
Final call: Optus' exploitation of First Nations customers must be the last, say advocates
Optus has agreed to pay a $100 million penalty, subject to court approval, over conduct that saw many First Nations people from remote communities sold services they did not want or need. Credit: Mark Baker/AP Optus, the second-largest telecommunications company in Australia, admitted this week to engaging in unconscionable conduct when selling telecommunications goods and services to hundreds of consumers, many of whom were First Nations. Dunghutti man Mark Holden, a senior solicitor at Mob Strong Debt Help - a non-profit organisation that offers free finance-related legal advice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – says he hopes this is a wake-up call. 'This should be the final call now for the telecommunications industry to be able to shape up here and try to be more proactive, taking more practical steps to be able to end the harm to First Nations peoples here when it comes to the sale of an essential service," he said. Optus sold many First Nations people from remote services they did not want or need and has agreed to pay a $100 million penalty, after an investigation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). 'Oftentimes, we find that the conduct happens in areas where there's more likely to be vulnerable people living there," Mr Holden told NITV. "So remote communities, rural areas, but even as well, in some urban areas as well too, where First Nations peoples often are targeted. 'They might come in and just be looking for a typical charge cable, and they'll be then sold a couple of phones, a speaker, a console, iPads. "And they're just being charged all these fees, that just racks up quite fast.' Optus is not the first telco fined for wrongful conduct. Telstra was penalised $50 million in 2021 for unconscionable conduct when selling mobile contracts to Indigenous consumers. 'I think that if the sales model makes money, then other people will be doing it as well," Mr Holden said. 'Because Telstra was doing it, we just were not surprised when ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) first announced that Optus was also doing this too. 'These are just two cases that we're looking at here, I wouldn't be surprised as well to if there are other telco providers here who could be doing the same thing.' As well as debt, the impact of the conduct can also lead to a lot of shame amongst mob. 'Besides the financial loss, here we have a lot of mob who are faced with this crippling debt," Mr Holden said. "And when it comes to debt, there's a lot of shame as well too. 'Sometimes there's a very, very strong fear of further action being taken against them, there's a fear of them maybe going to jail.' It's even left some people trying to access their superannuation to pay their debts. 'That's a very bit of extra harm here as well, too, that when people don't pay their debts, the telco can issue a default on the credit report, and that default can last for about five years from listing, and that can severely impact their ability to be able to take a loan, to be able to be able to support themselves," Mr Holden said. Optus is compensating impacted consumers for the period between August 2019 and July 2023, during which it agreed the alleged conduct took place. But Mark says it should go further. 'You want to be able to have a remediation program that looks at the entirety of the sales practices, so that even though we're looking at people who are affected in the period, we're looking at people who were affected before that and after that as well, too, people who've been treated the same way," he said. 'So that they also could get not only just a refund of what they paid, but also compensation with interest for the harm they suffered.' He says it should be a wake-up call for other industries too, as the pattern of exploitation isn't unique to the telecommunications industry. 'This is really a practice of exploitation, taking advantage of someone's vulnerability to their advantage," Mr Holden said. "Unconscionable conduct is not something that just telcos do. "There is a industry of exploitation where First Nations peoples can be targeted by people who might exploit their vulnerability to their advantage. 'There has to be a call to action to be able to stop this exploitation, to be able to actually start working with communities, to be able to try and provide them the products that they need for the for their communities.' Interviews and feature reports from NITV. A mob-made podcast about all things Blak life. The Point: Referendum Road Trip Live weekly on Tuesday at 7.30pm Join Narelda Jacobs and John Paul Janke to get unique Indigenous perspectives and cutting-edge analysis on the road to the referendum. Watch now
Associated Press
18-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Trinity Consultants Acquires Jaffe Holden
The acquisition strengthens Trinity's position as one of the world's leading architectural and acoustical design consultancies. DALLAS, March 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Trinity Consultants, a leading global environmental consulting firm providing services and solutions in the built environment, EHS regulatory compliance, life sciences, and water and ecology markets, today announced its acquisition of Jaffe Holden, a Connecticut-based provider of acoustic design and audio and video services for performing arts, educational and cultural spaces. The company will operate within Trinity's built environment business, combining its acoustical capabilities with Cerami, Valcoustics and Longman Lindsey. Since 1968, Jaffe Holden has cemented its reputation for inspiring sensory experiences in some of the world's most iconic facilities, including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Julliard School, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, The Kennedy Center, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, and the Tokyo International Forum. Together with Cerami, Longman Lindsey and Valcoustics, Trinity has more than 150 years of combined experience in delivering exceptional sound solutions to architects, engineers, planners, developers, builders and government entities. 'Jaffe Holden shares our passion for unearthing hidden acoustic and technical possibilities for the spaces where we live, work, play and connect,' said Jim Perry, managing director at Cerami & Associates, a Trinity Consultants company. 'The company's esteemed reputation and complementary services will be a strategic asset to Trinity as we enter our next chapter of growth and innovation. We're excited to partner with their team to orchestrate symphonies of space and sound.' Mark Holden, Matt Nichols, Matt Kulinski and the rest of Jaffe Holden leadership team will continue to be key leaders within Trinity's built environment division. They will report directly to Perry. 'We're honored to join forces with a renowned environmental, acoustic design and technology consultancy that works with world-class organizations and architects on iconic projects around the world,' Holden said. 'This partnership allows us to expand into new markets and design acoustical marvels that push the envelope on what's possible for the employees, clients, partners and communities we serve.' The merger comes at a pivotal time in Trinity's rich 50-year history as it continues to expand and evolve to bring new capabilities to market via strategic organic growth and acquisitions while empowering clients to achieve new levels of success. To learn more about Trinity Consultants and its services and leadership team, visit About Jaffe Holden Jaffe Holden is one of the world's leading architectural, audio and video, and acoustical design consultancies. From the pre-design phase to post-opening tuning and commissioning, the firm provides room acoustic design, building sound isolation, building systems noise and vibration control, and audio and video system design to performing arts, educational and cultural spaces worldwide. About Trinity Consultants Trinity Consultants, a leading global environmental consulting firm, provides services and solutions in the EHS regulatory compliance, built environment, life sciences, and water and ecology markets. Founded in 1974, Trinity has the technical expertise, industry depth and capabilities to help clients achieve their goals across the natural and built environments.
