By Stephanie Tonkin, CEO Consumer Action Law Centre (published in the Herald Sun, 18 March 2024) Last week, Scamwatch, our national body fighting scams and part of the Australian Competition and Co...
Consumer groups have responded to draft Buy Now, Pay Later legislation (BNPL) released today : Quotes attributable to Stephanie Tonkin, CEO of Consumer Action Law Centre “We welcome regulating Buy...
Inaction on scams is creating a ‘perfect storm’ for people living in Australia already under siege in a cost-of-living crisis, exposing the country’s vulnerable banking and communications infrastructu...
Our submission to the Senate Select Committee on supermarket prices aims to provide insight into the broader context and impacts of rising costs of living for Australians. Rising costs and poor ind...
Tim Watkins, Sarah Gerendasi, James Green, and Nina Merrilees were robbed of thousands of dollars by scammers. They are travelling to Canberra today to share their stories at the launch of the new Par...
This is our response to the Department of Social Services’ (DSS) review of the Financial Wellbeing and Capability (FWC) programs. This submission responds to select questions throughout the discussion...
A coalition of advocacy groups, including Consumer Action Law Centre, CHOICE and the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network, have come out forcefully stating that customer reimbursement, pa...
Consumer Action Law Centre, CHOICE and the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network have been conducting regular roundtables with scams victims and consumer organisations, to develop our resp...
Our submission provides feedback on the Australian Banking Association’s (ABA) updated Banking Code of Practice (Code). This is a joint submission made on behalf of: Consumer Action Law Centre...
Through our frontline services, we see widespread harm in the crypto market, and the urgent need for intervention. In this submission, we are responding to Treasury’s proposal paper Regulating Digi...
Consumer Action Law Centre has responded to the Federal Parliament's Standing Committee on Economics inquiry into insurers' responses to the major flood claims arising from 2022’s ‘disaster year’ with...
The mandatory Code for Scams consultation paper announced by the Federal Treasury today sets out some proposals to tackle the scams crisis, however the final regulation must land on clearer stipulated...
Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the scams safe accord announced by the Australian Banking Association (ABA) and Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA) which has involved, for the first time...
The Federal Court has granted an injunction against pawnbroker, Taylors Business Pty Ltd (ACN 107 445 723) (Taylors Business) in class action proceedings filed by Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer...
We are delighted to publish our Impact Report 2022-23 which highlights our organisation’s achievements over the past year working for and with the people we help. Read about the many successes we h...
The community legal sector’s work would not be possible without stable, indexed NLAP funding. This is a critical part of specialist community legal centres’ (CLC) baseline resourcing, now and into the...
Consumer Action Law Centre provides financial counselling assistance and legal advice to people at all stages of the insolvency process. We regularly speak to people who end up in unnecessary and cost...
Consumer Action Law Centre and Financial Counselling Australia say they hope the Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s (ASIC) court action announced today against Cigno and BSF Solutions a...
The vast majority of Telstra customers will pay $5 per month more on their internet bills following price increases announced this week. Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Stephanie Tonkin said a growi...
This submission is made on behalf of: • Consumer Action Law Centre • Financial Rights Legal Centre • Consumer Credit Legal Service (CCLS) • Financial Counselling Australia. Supporting and rep...
This is a joint submission made on behalf of Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Rights Legal Centre, Financial Counselling Australia, Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network, WEstjustice, The Salvat...
Consumer Action, Financial Rights and CHOICE are calling on the banking industry to do more to prevent scams, as increasing losses are having a devastating impact on individuals and the Australian eco...
Consumer Action Law Centre, Consumers' Federation of Australia and Financial Rights Legal Centre have provided feedback on the proposals in the Australian Law Reform Commission’s (ALRC) Interim Repor...
The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) has revealed that consumers in dispute with financial firms lodged a record 96,987 complaints in the past 12 months, an unprecedented rise of 34 pe...
The success of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) in its Federal Court action against Cigno Pty Ltd (Cigno) and BHF Solutions Pty Ltd (BHF Solutions), is good news which we hop...
Tania Clarke, Acting CEO Consumer Action Law Centre Last year bank customers in the UK experienced a 17% drop in scam losses while in Australia, bank customers experienced a 62% increase. Between...
In a world first, the UK Parliament this week passed legislation that will protect banking customers from the losses they experience as a direct result of being tricked by scammers. British banks a...
Consumer Action Acting CEO Tania Clarke has welcomed the announcement today by National Australia Bank (NAB) updating its terms and conditions (T&Cs) that puts NAB customers, who use NAB accounts...
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the proposed amendments to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority’s (AFCA) complaint resolution scheme rules (Rules) and Operational Guidelines (Guid...
Consumer groups and financial counsellors have said that the Government’s plans for regulation of the buy now, pay later (BNPL) sector announced today will need to include strong requirements for len...
Consumer Action CEO Stephanie Tonkin has welcomed the extra funding announced in the Federal Budget for the Anti-Scam Centre, saying it’s a first step in the right direction, but deep concerns remain...
Consumer Action is responding to the proposed amendments to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority’s (AFCA) approach to non-financial loss claims (Amended Approach). We generally support the go...
Australia’s four major banks are failing their customers by taking a ‘variable and…less mature’ approach to scams than expected, with ‘inconsistent and narrow approaches to determining liability’ as w...
Scammers are targeting Australians online with highly sophisticated scams, stealing $billions from ordinary families and businesses every year -and it’s getting worse! That’s the message from the Aust...
By Stephanie Tonkin, CEO, Consumer Action Law Centre The big four banks are tipped to make record profits this financial year, with some analysts suggesting they will collectively rake in more th...
The crypto marketplace currently poses significant risk to consumers and there is a pressing need for adequate protections and safeguards. Consumer Action applauds the Government for its commitment...
Consumer Action, and the various organisations from the Stop the Debt Trap Alliance, routinely advise and assist people who have multiple payday loans and/or consumer leases that they took on due to t...
This is a joint submission made on behalf of: • Consumer Action Law Centre • Financial Rights Legal Centre • Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network • Financial Counselling Australia • WEstjusti...
In responding the cost of living crisis, consumers are contacting our services for advice and assistance. In 2022, there were 6,494 contacts to our financial counsellors via the National Debt Helpline...
Consumer Action CEO Stephanie Tonkin says Westpac’s announcement of a new verification system for payments and money transfer measures to new accounts are “…steps in the right direction to help stop t...
An edited version of this opinion piece appeared in the Herald Sun 18 February, 2023 You’d be hard-pressed these days to find someone who hasn’t been the target of a scam. Whether it’s a fraudulent...
Australia’s banks should quickly introduce measures to stop scams, make their systems safer and reimburse victims or be made by Government to do so, says Consumer Action CEO Stephanie Tonkin. Ms Tonk...
PODCAST: In his last week as Consumer Action CEO, Gerard Brody sat down to reflect on some of his experiences at the centre. One of the most incredible aspects of Gerard's leadership is his calm and v...
We consider the safety and resilience of the payments system to require urgent attention and intervention and outline the reasons for this in our joint submission with Financial Rights Legal Centre....
Consumer Action’s financial counsellors and lawyers advise and assist people experiencing financial hardship and poverty on a daily basis. The data Consumer Action collects, as well as the reflections...
The Commonwealth Bank (CBA) has announced it is introducing measures to strengthen its payment system that will make it harder for crooks to scam their customers. The measures called NameCheck and Cal...
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) late fees and charges would be capped, and providers would be licensed and banned from making unsolicited offers of credit, under recommendations for proper regulation of the...
Consumer Action has joined with 22 other organisations as part of the "Close Lending Loopholes Alliance" to make a submission to Treasury on its Options Paper, Regulating Buy Now Pay Later in Australi...
Consumer Credit Legal Services (WA) Inc. (CCLSWA) has drafted these submissions on behalf of the Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) and its members. CFA is the peak body for consumer organisatio...
Consumer advocates have welcomed the dismissal by the High Court of a special leave application by Cigno Pty Ltd (Cigno) and BHF Solutions Pty Ltd (BHFS) against the Full Federal Court’s finding in en...