ACCC - Consumer Action Law Centre

At Christmas, no one should have to pawn their life away

An edited version of this opinion piece appeared in the Herald Sun today. By Stephanie Tonkin Christmas is meant to be a time of generosity and hope. Yet for too many Australians, it’s a season...

Consumer advocates welcome report on the national scourge of lemon cars

Advocates across Australia are welcoming a new report today from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) which points a lens at one of the nation’s most pervasive and troubling consu...

Consumer Action calls for strong -world beating- Scams Prevention Framework as draft codes land

Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the latest consultation on the Federal Government’s Scams Prevention Framework (SPF), announced Friday by Assistant Treasurer Dr Daniel Mulino MP, saying Austra...

Our impact in 2024-25: Fighting injustice and working for a fairer marketplace

We are delighted to present our Impact Report 2024-25 which highlights Consumer Action Law centre’s work over the past year working with consumers, community workers, national advocates and cross-sect...

OPINION: Meta gorges on scam victim profits

A version of this opinion piece appeared in the Sunday Herald Sun 23 November, 2025 I’ve talked a lot about banks’ central role in Australia’s scams crisis. However, the main beneficiaries of the e...

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Landmark reforms to stop unfair trading and strengthen consumer guarantees

Consumer groups have welcomed the decision by Consumer Affairs Ministers to progress major reforms that will make unfair business practices illegal and introduce enforceable consumer guarantees, the m...

A surge in scams while our ‘world leading’ Scam Prevention Framework missing in action

New scam data released today from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) reveals that Australians lost nearly $260 million in scams in the first nine months of 2025, a 16% increase...

OPINION: BAN crypto ATMs and end robbery in plain sight

Stephanie Tonkin, CEO Consumer Action Law Centre An edited version published in the Sunday Herald Sun 9 Nov 2025 You may have seen a crypto ATM sitting in your local post office, fuel station or...

Crypto ATMS are a clear vector for scams: Ban them now says Consumer Action

Crypto ATMs are a clear vector for scam activity focusing on older victims*, charging eye-boggling fees and causing massive harms – “the Albanese Government should do the right thing and ban them now”...

Response to Productivity Commission Interim Report: Creating a more dynamic and resilient economy

This is a joint submission from Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Counselling Australia, Consumer Policy Research Centre and CHOICE. We welcome the opportunity to inform this national conversation...

Court Finds Money3 Breached Responsible Lending Laws: Consumer Advocates Welcome Outcome

In a decision handed down on Friday, the Federal Courthas found that car lender Money3 breached responsible lending laws. The case, brought by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (...

Centrepay will no longer be a vehicle for financial abuse

Consumer advocates welcome reforms to Government payment service The Financial Rights Legal Centre, Mob Strong Debt Help, Consumer Action Law Centre, CHOICE, Anglicare NT and Economic Justice Austral...

Banks should be responsible for shifting people onto better accounts, say consumer groups

Consumer groups are urging the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to put the onus on banks to shift people into basic bank accounts as part of the ACCC’s authorisation of the Austra...

Scam Awareness Week kicks-off: taking care is important alongside business disruption efforts

Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Stephanie Tonkin is calling for immediate action from the Federal Government as new scam data reveals a surge in everyday Australians being robbed. Her call comes as...

Draft Determination AA1000683 – Application by the Australian Banking Association

This is a joint submission from Consumer Action Law Centre, Mob Strong Debt Help, Financial Rights Legal Centre, and Financial Counselling Australia. Basic bank accounts (BBAs) are incredibly valua...

Consumer advocates welcome banks’ commitment to refund $93 million, but gaps in support remain

Consumer advocates have welcomed a commitment from Australian banks to refund more than $93 million to low-income customers after charging excessive fees, but significant gaps in support remain, with...

OPINION: The evil reach of the ‘recovery’ scam as victims robbed again

First published in the Herald Sun, Sunday27 July 2025 The scams crisis is still raging, and some statistical indicators reveal this problem, which costs Australians billions of dollars every year,...

Second AUSTRAC Consultation on new AML/CTF Rules

This is a joint submission made on behalf of: • Consumer Action Law Centre • Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network • Super Consumers Australia • Financial Counselling Australia • Mob Strong Debt...

OPINION: Will our ‘super complaint’ stop the scourge of door-knock selling?

First published in the Herald-Sun, 29 June 2025 By Stephanie Tonkin CEO Consumer Action Law Centre On 17 June, the nation’s economy-wide regulator, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commis...

Proposed AFCA Rules changes to expand jurisdiction over receiving banks in scams

We welcomed this year’s Federal Government announcement and Authorisation to expand AFCA’s jurisdiction to enable AFCA to consider complaints against banks for scam matters where an AFCA complainant d...

ACCC’s decision on first super complaint ‘shows the system works’ says Consumer Action

Consumer Action Law Centre CEO, Stephanie Tonkin says she is thrilled by the decision of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to launch a detailed review into the national impact and har...

A historic opportunity to enact a stronger consumer-focused agenda say advocates

Consumer advocates have congratulated the Albanese Government on its emphatic re-election victory and called for it to seize the moment to govern with an even stronger consumer-focused agenda in its s...

Joint Submission: Centrepay Reform – Consultation

This is a joint submission led by Financial Rights Legal Centre, supported by Consumer Action Law Centre and: • Australian Communications Consumer Action Network • AnglicareNT • Brotherhood of St...

VIDEO: First ever ‘designated complaint’ targets the scourge of ‘door-knock’ unsolicited selling

Consumer Action Law Centre is calling for a nationwide ban on unsolicited selling in the first ever designated ‘super’ complaint presented to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)....

First ‘designated complaint’ targets the nationwide scourge of door-knock unsolicited selling

VIDEO: What ‘consumer-centric’ policies should the next Government pursue?

Consumer Action Law Centre has revealed a list of its top consumer-centric priorities to make life fairer and better for all Australians, ahead of the upcoming federal Election. “This Federal Elect...

‘Cost-of-living’ at the centre of Election 2025: Our consumer-centric priorities revealed  

REPORT: Payday lenders pushing borrowers over the edge

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) has today released a report revealing what consumer advocates have been saying for months – predatory lenders are pushing customers in vulner...

Consumer Action: ‘Strengthened anti-scam laws will help future victims’

Assistant Treasurer, Stephen Jones has announced strengthened pathways for victims to seek compensation where wrongdoing has occurred. A Ministerial Direction announced yesterday, will empower the Aus...

Telco regulator cannot register out of touch industry code say consumer advocates

The Fair Call Coalition* of consumer advocates has written to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) urging the Regulator to refuse to register the Telecommunications Consumer Protec...

Compensation Scheme of Last Resort post-impementation review

Consumer Action Law Centre strongly supports the joint submission by CHOICE and other consumer organisations. We provide this supplementary submission in response to the Compensation Scheme of Last Re...

Hard fought protections in new Banking Code better for consumers

The new Banking Code of Practice came into force on Friday the culmination of years of work to strengthen consumer protections said Stephanie Tonkin, CEO Consumer Action Law Centre. The Hayne Roy...

Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) – Draft Regulations

The consumer sector has been calling for appropriate regulation of BNPL for several years and we are pleased that legislation will shortly come into force, providing some protection to customers, part...

Proposed updates to RG209 with respect to the treatment of HECS debt in responsible lending

Consumer Action Law Centre’s perspective is that the changes suggested appear commonsense, particularly because they describe a closer assessment of a person’s income and expenditure in providing cons...

Code Governance Committee monitoring priorities for 2025-26

Insurance files form a large part of our legal casework and frequently involve clients in personal or financial crisis. While many claims may appear straightforward to an insurer, no claim is simple t...

The Banking Code Compliance Committee’s priorities for 2025-26

Consumer Action Law Centre strongly supports the Banking Code Compliance Committee (BCCC) examining Code compliance through Bank@Post closely. We frequently hear anecdotal issues with accessing bankin...

OPINION: In this David and multiple Goliath battle scam victims must win

A slightly edited version of this opinion piece was published by News.com 3 February, 2025 At Consumer Action, our lawyers and financial counsellors speak with scam victims almost every day. People...

Straightforward compensation would put victims at the heart of the new Scams Bill

Consumer organisations fighting to ensure Australians are protected under the Scams Prevention Framework Bill will provide evidence today at a crucial Senate Economics Legislation Committee hearing....

Concerning the ABA’s application to remove conditions from basic bank account conduct

Our response to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on this issue is supported by the Financial Rights Legal Centre and CHOICE. We are interested parties in the application by the Au...

AUSTRAC: Guidance on assisting customers who don’t have identification

This is a joint submission made on behalf of: •Consumer Action Law Centre •Financial Counselling Australia •Financial Rights Legal Centre •Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network •Mob Strong Deb...

Consumer safeguards must be front and centre of new scams framework say consumer advocates

Consumer Action Law Centre, CHOICE, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) and Super Consumers Australia, have welcomed the announcement from the Albanese Government of a consul...

REPORT: One year on and ASIC report again reveals banks shirking responsibility when customers have been scammed

A new report published today from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) reveals a “shameful neglect of thousands of banking customers who have been scammed through no fault of th...

AFCA scam complaints ‘off the charts’ while banks fail to reimburse customers

The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) received a record number of complaints in 2023-24 after disputes to the ombudsman service increased 9 per cent to more than 105,000 for the year. C...

ASICs ‘Better banking’ project will help First Nations customers -Remaining banks need to do better to reduce fee-harm-

Consumer Action Law Centre congratulates the Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s (ASIC) Indigenous Outreach Program team on the success of their Better banking for Indigenous consumers...

POLLING: Big majority of Australians say banks should do their job and take responsibility for keeping our money safe

Banks victim-shaming approach ‘immoral’- Tonkin New polling by Essential Media is unequivocal: the vast majority (75%) of Australians expect banks to keep their money safe from criminal scammers, a...

Consumer groups welcome reforms addressing harms caused by a bankruptcy system not fit for purpose

Consumer advocates have been calling for urgent reform for some time and last year outlined key pressure points during a round-table discussion organised by the Federal Attorney General, Mark Dreyfus...

‘ The Telco Code has run its course and failed to deliver’: ACMA must explore other options to protect consumers

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has called on the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to reject a proposed consumer protections code drafted by the telecommu...

Consumer Action and CHOICE chosen as designated complainants

The Albanese Government has announced today that Consumer Action Law Centre has been chosen as a designated complainant. This means that Consumer Action, with fellow consumer advocate CHOICE, and the...

Consumer advocates welcome revised Banking Code of Practice with incremental improvements noted

Consumer advocates are welcoming the revised Banking Code of Practice (the Banking Code) announced today which includes some incremental improvements to consumer protections. Consumer Action Law Ce...

Independent Review: Initial Consultation Paper, April 2024

Financial Rights Legal Centre has drafted this submission on behalf of the Consumers Federation of Australia. The following organisations have contributed and are signatories to this submission: •...

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