2018 - Consumer Action Law Centre

Credit cards should not be a lifelong debt sentence: Media Release

A proposal to prevent credit cards becoming a lifelong debt sentence has been welcomed by Consumer Action Law Centre. The Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC) has released its p...

Tracey Walsh – Royal Commission Witness: Media Release

Today Tracey Walsh, a 53-year-old Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman from Victoria, gave evidence to the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation & Financial Servic...

Joint submission: Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) Draft Rules

In Australia, everyone should be able to easily access a free, fair, fast and effective service to resolve complaints against their lender, insurer or superannuation fund. To ensure that the Australia...

National Energy Retail Amendment (Strengthening protections for customers in hardship) Rule 2018 consultation paper

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the National Energy Retail Amendment (Strengthening protections for customers in hardship) Rule 2018 Consultatio...

AER Powers Civil Penalty Regime Consultation Paper

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) Powers and Civil Penalty Regime Consultation Paper, published by the Stand...

Consumer Groups warn banks’ plan to protect vulnerable customers will fail

Consumer groups have today criticised a plan by the four major banks to exclude customers from the new mandatory Comprehensive Credit Regime if an agreement with their bank is reached on hardship arra...

Terrorism Insurance Act Review 2018

Consumer Action has reviewed a selection of current Product Disclosure Statements (PDSs) of major brands of domestic insurance to assess whether they are likely to cover loss, damage, liability, costs...

Consumer rights and protections, and older consumers: the value of loyalty

Gerard Brody, speech to COTA Forum June 28, 2018 Thank you to Ian and COTA Australia for the opportunity to speak today. Today I’d like to talk about values and consumer protection, and part...

Joint submission: Attorney-General’s Department Review of Financial Hardship Arrangements

Consumer advocates consider that any additional information permitted to be shared or held as part of the credit reporting system is inherently a further privacy intrusion and must be justified to be...

Submission: Reforms to strengthen penalties for corporate and financial sector misconduct – Draft Legislation

Review into the Australian Taxation Office’s use of Garnishee Notices

We reject the legal status quo which enables garnishee orders issued prior to bankruptcy to continue to garnish the wages of bankrupted individuals post-bankruptcy. As we understand it, garnishee ord...

Retirement ombudsman: Safe and fair retirement should be bipartisan

Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy MP and Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs Heidi Victoria MP have announced that the Coalition will establish an ombudsman for retirement housing residents if...

Lemon-Aid

It is not always easy for people to obtain a refund or replacement when they purchase a faulty ‘lemon’ product. The current Australian consumer guarantee regime is not well equipped to deal with the u...

Victorian water prices to remain steady

The Essential Services Commission (ESC) has today made its final pricing determinations for the 2018 Water Price Review. The determinations specify the prices that water companies can charge as well a...

Payment difficulty framework amendments to the Compliance and Performance Reporting Guideline draft decision

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the payment difficulty framework amendments to the Compliance and Performance Reporting Guideline draft decision...

Are we there yet? (the mysterious case of the vanishing SACC Bill)

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Letter to the editor: Credit reporting not great for the public

The fintech industry's claims that delays in putting more customer data into credit reports will entrench the big four's market dominance need scrutinising ('Labor credit report delay will entrench ba...

Energy Market Commission confirms the deregulated energy market has not delivered for Victorians

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has admitted that competition among energy retailers is not delivering ‘expected benefits’ in its annual retail energy competition review. The Victor...

Submission: Protecting Your Super package: Exposure Draft

This submission focuses on insurance in superannuation and the interests of people who are on low incomes or have low superannuation balances. It supports the majority of CHOICE’s recommendations in i...

Submission: NSW Emergency Services Levy Insurance Monitor Standard Profile Quotations

This joint submission from Financial Rights Legal Centre and Consumer Action Legal Centre responds to the NSW Emergency Services Levy Insurance Monitor’s 'Standard profile quotations Mid-term review,...

Submission: Options for greater involvement by private sector life insurers in worker rehabilitation

This joint submission of CHOICE, Financial Rights Legal Centre and Consumer Action Law Centre responds to the insurance industry proposal for greater involvement by life insurers in worker rehabilitat...

Submission: Implementation of prohibition on flex-commissions

The Consumer Action Law Centre welcomes the opportunity to comment on the implementation of the prohibition on flex-commissions Consultation Paper (the Consultation Paper). We generally support the...

Draft AER Benefit Change Notice Guidelines – Submission

Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to provide a brief submission in response to AER’s Draft Benefit Change Notice Guidelines (Draft Guidelines). This policy area is well trodden ground for Co...

Submission: 2018 Water Price Review standard draft decisions

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Essential Service Commission’s (ESC) standard draft decisions in the 2018 Water Price Review for Barwon Wate...

Data disaster – Commbank shows banks fail at the basics

A data disaster is coming according to consumer advocates, following revelations that 12 million customers’ personal financial histories were lost by the Commonwealth Bank. “A data disaster is comi...

National Energy Retail Amendment (Strengthening Protections for Customers in Hardship) Rule 2018 Draft Rule Determination

Victorian Budget: Funding boost for regulator good news for energy consumers

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Submission to the Australian Consumer Law Review – Clarification, simplification and modernisation of the consumer guarantee framework

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action), WEstjustice, National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC) and Federation of Community Legal Centres (Victoria) Inc welcome the opportunity...

“Credit repair” business ordered to pay $1.7 million

The Federal Court has found that credit repair business, Malouf Group Enterprises Pty Ltd (Malouf Group), and its director Jordan Francis Malouf breached the Australian Consumer Law by making false an...

Victorians need better access to quick, fair and free justice in 2018

Consumer Action has launched our latest election platform for this November's Victorian State Election which calls on our state politicians to make access to justice fairer and more affordable for all...

Relief for Victorians struggling to pay essential service bills

The Victorian Government has announced an increase to the Utility Relief Grant Scheme (URGS) with $21.7 million allocated in the upcoming budget. Victorians households are currently eligible to apply...

NEM Data Strategy Consultation Paper

Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to provide a brief submission in response to the Energy Security Board (ESB) Consultation Paper regarding the development of the NEM Data Strategy. Consumer...

Jail time for corporate crooks needed to clean up finance sector

Today the Federal Government announced that there will be tougher penalties for corporate misconduct, and stronger powers for the corporate regulator ASIC. The Federal Government has agreed or agreed-...

AEMC National Energy Retail Amendment (Preventing discounts on inflated energy rates) Rule 2018 Consultation Paper

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) National Energy Retail Amendment (Preventing discounts on inflate...

Submission – Inquiry into Competition in the Australian Financial System Draft Report

The Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Counselling Australia and the Financial Rights Legal Centre are pleased to provide a submission in response to the Inquiry into Competition in the Australian...

Oversight of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority: Update to ASIC Regulatory Guide 139

In Australia, everyone should be able to easily access a free, fair, fast and effective service to resolve complaints against financial firms. The establishment of the Australian Financial Complaints...

Image of wind turbines denoting a submission about energy

Consumer Action Submission: Developing a reference price methodology for Victoria’s energy market

Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to provide a brief submission in response to the Essential Services Commission (ESC) Consultation Paper regarding the development of a methodology to determine...

Consumer groups call for tougher penalties, ban on broker commissions in submissions to Royal Commission

Consumer Action Law Centre, CHOICE and Legal Aid NSW today published submissions in response to the first round of hearings before the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation a...

Summary of Consumer Action submission to Royal Commission on consumer lending and reform recommendations

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) has published its submission to the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Finance Sector in response to the consumer lending...

Submission: DELWP Consultation Paper – Response to the Bipartisan Independent Review of the Electricity and Gas Retail Markets in Victoria

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the government's Interim Response to the Independent Review of the Electricity and Gas Retail Markets...

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