Legislation preventing Australian companies from charging extra for sending communications by post will require careful drafting, a government assistant minister has said.

A Senate motion calling for legislation to be brought forward "that will give consumers the right to receive communications from companies by post for no extra fee" was passed yesterday.

While the move - advocated by Two Sides' Australia's Keep Me Posted campaign - aims to ensure that consumers are not charged extra to receive bills in the mail, Queensland assistant minister to the Prime Minister Senator James McGrath said "while the government agrees with the need to protect consumers and the sentiment of the motion", more work was needed before legislation could be considered. Small business minister Michael McCormack was reviewing the provisions within the current Australian Consumer Law legislation.

Yesterday's Senate motion was tabled by chief Opposition whip Anne Urquhart in support of shadow consumer affairs minister Tim Hammond.

Executive director of Keep Me Posted Kellie Northwood says currently, 3.5 million Australian do not have home internet access and ACCC's Scamwatch reported that 42 per cent of scams were delivered by email or on the email: "We must follow our international colleagues and provide consumer protection for Australians," she added.

Northwood says the charges are disproportionate to the cost incurred by business.