The government will contribute $10 million to the SMS sender ID registry

The Australian government will allocate $10 million in next month’s federal budget for the creation of a government-run register of SMS sender IDs. Communications minister Michelle Rowland had requested the Australian Communications and Media Authority to examine the need for such a register in February to address the rise in scam losses. Scammers typically send text messages impersonating trusted agencies such as myGov or Australia Post. Under the proposed register, agencies will register their sender IDs, and telecoms providers will use the list to block incoming messages that do not originate from registered sender IDs. The register will be phased in, with a focus on rulemaking, industry readiness, and security arrangements. The Communications Alliance, which represents telecommunications service providers, praised the phased approach and said that a sender SMS ID registry could be a valuable tool in fighting scam SMS messages.