The Do Not Call Register: what it does and doesn't stop

Who Called Australia editorial team · Updated: 31/08/2026

The Do Not Call Registeris Australia's legal opt-out from telemarketing: a free government list, run by the ACMA, that lawful marketers must respect. It genuinely cuts sales calls — and it does absolutely nothing about scam calls, which is where most disappointment comes from. Here's what it stops, what it can't, and what actually works for the rest.

How to register (two minutes)

Go to donotcall.gov.au (or call 1300 792 958 from the number you want to list), enter your number and confirm. Registration is free and permanent, covers mobiles and landlines, and takes effect for telemarketers within 30 days. That's the entire process — any site charging for "do not call registration" is a middleman at best.

What it stops — and the exemptions

Once listed, unsolicited telemarketing calls and marketing faxes to your number become unlawful, with the ACMA able to issue warnings and substantial penalties. But Parliament wrote in exemptions: charities, political parties, opinion research and — the big one in practice — businesses you already deal with. Your own bank pitching insurance is legal; a random solar company cold-calling is not. Consent also trumps the register: tick-boxes on competition entries are the classic source of "but I'm registered!" calls. Withdrawing that consent directly with the company ends those.

What it can't stop

Scam calls ignore the register entirely — a spoofed caller ID from an overseas rack was never going to check a compliance list. Overseas call centres selling to Australians are covered on paper but hard to enforce against in practice. So treat the register as the tool that cleans up lawful marketing, and handle the rest with different tools: your phone's block list, your carrier's scam filtering, and the 60-second scam check for anything that gets through.

Complaining when it's breached

Keep the evidence: date, time, calling number (check it with the reverse lookup and note what the register data says), and what was pitched. Complain at acma.gov.au— enforcement actions and fines against list-breakers are public record precisely because people filed. Persistent nuisance from one number, telemarketing or not, is also worth a report on the number's page here: it warns everyone who searches it after you.

Frequently asked questions

Does listing my number cost anything, and does it expire?

Registration at donotcall.gov.au is free and, since 2015, permanent — you no longer need to renew every eight years. You can register Australian mobiles, home phones and even fax numbers, and removal is equally free.

How long until the calls stop?

Telemarketers must wash their lists against the register at least monthly, and the law gives them 30 days after your registration. If unsolicited sales calls persist beyond that, note the date, time and number, and complain to the ACMA.

Who is still allowed to call me?

Registered charities, political parties and candidates, opinion polling and social research, plus any business you have an existing relationship with (your own bank, insurer, telco). Consent you gave — sometimes buried in a competition entry form — also overrides the register until you withdraw it.

Why do I still get scam calls after registering?

Because criminals don't wash their call lists against a government register. The register regulates lawful telemarketing; it does nothing about scams. For those, the playbook is blocking, reporting to Scamwatch and never engaging.