Media Release - Consumer Action Law Centre

Consumer concern at Federal Government review of telco complaints handling

The consumer movement has expressed strong concerns at Government proposals to reduce the remit of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. ‘One of the vital elements in the consumer protection r...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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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“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...

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...

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-...

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...

Find yourself judging bank victims? That’s exactly what the banks want

Jonathan Brown, Communications Manager - Consumer Action Law Centre It’s not often that I find myself in tears at work, but last week as I heard the story of, and then met Robert Regan – the fi...

An agenda for ageing in Victoria

Currently, there is no plan for the increased longevity and diversity of Victoria’s population. The result is a fragmented approach to policy and programs relating to older people between the ages of...

Consumer Groups Strongly Disagree with OAIC Credit Reporting Guidance

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has today published Guidance on its website about how lenders should treat Repayment History Information (RHI) for customers that are exper...

Royal Commission – Sales culture and short-term profit motivation is the problem

Yesterday, irresponsible car lending was the focus of the Banking Royal Commission, with Nalini Thiruvangadam taking the stand to share her experience of a car loan from Bank of Melbourne (part of the...

Royal Commission – Billion dollar junk insurance rip-off must end now

Consumer Action Law Centre says it’s time for the banking and insurance industry to end the billion dollar junk insurance rip-off they’ve let fester for over a decade. The statement comes following...

ANZ defends 30-year loan to scam victim aged 71

ANZ Bank has defended giving a 30-year loan to a 71-year-old scam victim in testimony to the Banking Royal Commission. In response to Mr Robert Regan’s (Full witness statement now available at the...

Robert Regan – Royal Commission Witness

Today the first bank customer witness took the stand at the Royal Commission. Robert Regan, a 72 year old widower from Victoria, took out a home loan with the ANZ through a broker in 2017 following th...

Robert Photos

Photos of Robert Regan available for publication. Credit: Consumer Action Law Centre...

Consumer Action responds: Interim response to the review into Victoria’s electricity and gas retail markets

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) commends recent action by the Victorian Government as a significant step forward in making it easier and fairer for Victorians to get a better, more afford...

Commbank dumps junk – Consumer Credit Insurance (CCI) scandal must end now: Consumer groups

Junk insurance sold with credit cards and loans is on its deathbed according to consumer groups (Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Rights Legal Centre and Financial Counselling Australia). The com...

Twelve months on, and still no Ombudsman for older Victorians

One year since the release of the Victorian Parliament’s Inquiry into the Retirement Housing Sector recommending the establishment of a Retirement Housing Ombudsman, we are still no closer to knowing...

Productivity Commission – Gerard Brody opening statement

Productivity Commission Competition in the Australian Financial System Opening Remarks from Consumer Action Law Centre – Public Hearings on Draft Report Thank you very much for having me...

Credit card reforms long overdue

Today, a package of reforms to improve credit card lending and marketing practices passed Federal Parliament. After a long consultation process, Consumer Action Law Centre is relieved to see the impor...

A new one-stop shop for financial disputes

Today, the legislation establishing a new one-stop shop for financial and superannuation complaints passed the Federal Parliament. The new Australian Financial Complaints Authority will replace the Fi...

Consumer Action asks insurance companies to show Australians some love – Media Release

High res images available for media use: Image 1 - Image 2 - Image 3 - Image 4 - Image 5 - Image 6 - Image 7 - Image 8 - Image 9 - Image 10 - Image 11 Consumer Action's 'DENIED' R...

Denied – Levelling the playing field to make insurance fair

There is a big ‘fairness’ problem in insurance. People often make insurance claims when they are at a low ebb. They can face shocking outcomes and no appropriate recourse under current laws. This repo...

At this year’s State Election, “Energy Prices Matter”

In the lead up to November's Victorian State Election, Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) has launched a platform to ease the burden of energy prices, "Energy Prices Matter: Make it fair and...

New polling shows Victorians don’t trust power retailers and want a Fair Price Guarantee

Independent state-wide polling released today by the Consumer Action Law Centre and the Brotherhood of St Laurence has shown that most Victorians don’t trust their electricity companies and strongly s...

Radio Rentals hauled over the coals for irresponsible lending – again.

Today, the corporate regulator ASIC announced it is taking action against consumer leasing giant Radio Rentals after the company admitted to breaching responsible lending laws. Consumer Action Law...

Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Finance Sector – Consumer Action submission part 1

Consumer Action Law Centre has published part 1 of its initial submission to the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Finance Sector today. The submission draws on the e...

Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Finance Sector – Consumer Action submission part 1

All shoppers need to be wary of junk insurance

Gerard Brody, CEO - Consumer Action Law Centre As originally published in the Herald Sun 27/12/2017 Car yards, banks and insurance companies — we don’t need a Royal Commission to remind us tha...

Opinion: Afterpay – Buy now, pain later?

Opinion – Gerard Brody, CEO Consumer Action Law Centre The boom of ‘buy now pay later’ at popular retailers has been touted as a win for business and consumers alike. But at a time when Australians...

Rent-to-buy: How many second chances do they deserve?

How should we describe a Government that wants to end the practice of 884% equivalent interest rates being charged to Australians who don’t have a spare $345 to buy a clothes dryer? It is a Government...

Watch Your Nuts

It’s never been easier to get into debt. And it's not just those on low incomes struggling to make ends meet - increasingly working people with good incomes are turning to high cost lenders for short...

Consumer Action comment on Royal Commission into the financial services sector

Consumer Action Law Centre says the Royal Commission into the financial services sector will empower people who have been ripped off by the banks, insurers and other financial institutions. ‘This R...

Consumer Action response to the release of the Essential Services Commission Victorian Energy Market Report 2016-17

Too many people are doing it tough as energy retailers fail to give their customers a fair price and a fair go at staying connected to essential services. The Essential Services Commission (ESC) toda...

A call to the Prime Minister and Australian Parliament

Consumer Action supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart We support First Nations peoples' Uluru Statement from the Heart. We call on the Australian Parliament to make this a national priori...

Penalised for poverty – consumer groups say Morrison announcement will make the poor pay more

Turnbull Government proposals to mandate ‘comprehensive credit reporting’ (CCR) will have negative consequences unless changes are made, according to Consumer Action Law Centre and Financial Rights Le...

Consumer Action takes consumer lease provider Rent4Keeps to court

In the same week that the Federal Government has released draft legislation to reform payday loans and consumer leases, Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) has announced proceedings in the Fe...

Turnbull’s energy policy won’t stop energy retailers from price gouging, but a Basic Service Offer will

Gerard Brody, CEO - Consumer Action Law Centre This week it was reported that energy bills for an average Victorian household have skyrocketed to a shocking $3,655 a year. The ACCC confirms tha...

Essential Services Commission releases new Payment Difficulty Framework

The new Payment Difficulty Framework will challenge energy retailers in Victoria to improve how they deal with customers in financial difficulty, and has the potential to reduce disconnections when it...

Fix my car! Our one-year wait for proper dispute resolution for cars

One year ago today, the Access to Justice review was released by the Victorian Government. The review proposed a sensible fix for the thousands of Victorians who buy lemon cars each year. To mark...

Response to Retirement Housing Inquiry fails to provide access to justice

After six months of waiting, the Victorian Government has responded to the Inquiry into the Retirement Housing Sector, conducted by the Victorian Legislative Council. The Victorian Government’s re...

Consumer Action Law Centre responds to meeting of Australian Ministers of Consumer Affairs

Consumer Action Law Centre responds to today's meeting of Australian Ministers of Consumer Affairs: On Debt Vultures Consumer Affairs Ministers acknowledged that addressing the conduct o...

Another day, another multi-million dollar junk insurance pay back

Consumer Action Law Centre says today’s announcement from ASIC that CommBank will refund $10 million to people who were mis-sold consumer credit insurance (CCI), after QBE agreed to pay back $16 milli...

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