Media Release: Credit Wash “cleans up” vulnerable consumer

A former customer of Malouf Group Enterprises (Malouf), which holds itself out as being "Leaders in Credit Repair Solutions" has issued proceedings in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (...

April 7, 2015

Media Release: Consumer voices must be at heart of competition policy reform: Consumer Action

Consumer Action Law Centre welcomes the release of the Harper Review into Competition Policy and particular the finding that purpose of competition is to make the market economy better serve the long-...

March 31, 2015

Media Release: Trowbridge final report a step in the right direction, but fixation with commissions remains

Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Rights Legal Centre, CHOICE and Maurice Blackburn Lawyers have welcomed John Trowbridge's final report into retail life insurance but believe that the industry ha...

March 27, 2015

Media Release: Payday lending report questions compliance with the law

Consumer Action Law Centre welcomed a new report from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) which questions whether payday lenders are complying with the law. The 2013 law ref...

March 17, 2015

Media release: Proposed ban on enrolment inducements a welcome step

Consumer Action has welcomed an announcement from Assistant Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham this morning about reforms designed to crack down on dubious marketing practices by tra...

March 12, 2015

Media release: Consumer advocates welcome Allianz’s $400,016 refund but warn mis-selling of insurance is an ongoing problem

Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed news that Allianz Australia Insurance will refund $400,016 to Australians who were sold its Consumer Credit Insurance (CCI) alongside payday loans. Consumer Ac...

March 4, 2015

Pensioners head to VCAT to challenge ‘deferred management fees’

The legality and fairness of ‘deferred management fees’ will be challenged in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in a case that should be watched closely by the retirement living i...

February 26, 2015

Media release: Life insurance report lacks imagination in failing to look beyond commission based sales

The life insurance industry’s initial response to a damning report which revealed 37 per cent of all life insurance advice provided by Australia’s financial services licensees failed to comply with th...

February 10, 2015

Media release: ‘Vendor terms’ home ownership deal a fantasy with no basis in reality

The spotlight will be on ‘vendor terms’ home sales in a new case before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). ‘Vendor terms’ contracts are an alternative to mainstream bank mortgages...

January 27, 2015

Media Release: Financial System Inquiry puts consumer welfare first

Consumer Advocate urges Government to implement recommendations ASAP The David Murray-led Financial System Inquiry represents a “paradigm shift” for Australia’s financial system. The report recogni...

December 8, 2014

Media release: Major parties urged to commit to helping vulnerable seniors before election

Overly complex contract terms and unfair fee structures can make the decision to move into retirement accommodation a gamble. Many Victorians move into purpose-built retirement villages or other retir...

November 25, 2014

Media release: Ensuring ‘fixed’ means ‘fixed’ when it comes to energy contracts

Consumer Action Law Centre and the Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre welcomed the Coalition's announcement that it will ban energy retailers using the term "fixed" when referring to contracts with va...

November 3, 2014

Energy retailers given green light to increase prices at will

Consumer advocates lament a lost opportunity to repair Australia’s broken energy retail market Energy retailers will continue increasing prices at their leisure after the Australian Energy Market Com...

October 23, 2014

Media release: Victorian energy retailers failing struggling customers – disconnection on the rise

The Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria (EWOV) Annual Report for 2013/14 suggests energy retailers are failing to offer sufficient assistance to customers struggling with high bills. During the year,...

October 16, 2014

Media release: Government’s pre election energy statement a welcome addition to the debate

Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the State Government’s pre election energy statement, in particular the focus on making Victoria’s energy market easier to navigate, and keeping vulnerable memb...

October 15, 2014

Media release: Parliament urged to protect Victorian home owner-builders

In its final sitting week, the Victorian Parliament is being urged to pass new domestic building consumer protections into law as a matter of priority. The Building Legislation Amendment Bill 2014 wou...

October 12, 2014

Media release: Stitched up by two traders in the one deal – Foton Dandenong & All Loans R Us in the spotlight

After a protracted legal battle, car dealer Foton Dandenong has been found to have broken the Australian Consumer Law by selling a defective car. An associated company, All Loans R Us financed the pur...

September 11, 2014

Media release: Investigation into energy disconnections a welcome first step

Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the Victorian Government’s announcement that it has directed the Essential Services Commission to conduct an investigation into the underlying causes of energy...

August 27, 2014

Media release: Energy market failing Victorian households, annual market report shows

An annual review of Australia’s energy markets suggest competition alone isn’t enough to keep the market running efficiently and to keep energy prices down. Research commissioned by the Australian Ene...

August 22, 2014

Media release: Credit reporting agency accused of breaching new credit reporting rules

Veda Advantage Ltd, a company which stores the credit history of millions of Australians, has been accused of breaching new credit reporting laws by promoting its $79.95 credit report at the expense o...

August 21, 2014

Media release: Energy retailers given the green light to increase prices at will

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) is set to rubber stamp energy retailers’ ability to increase prices for consumers as often as they like. Energy retailers would have been banned from inc...

July 31, 2014

Media release: New report calls on energy retailers to improve support for struggling households

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July 31, 2014

Media release: As fixed term interest rates fall to record lows, borrowers advised to look beyond the short term

As Australian banks cut fixed term interest rates on home loans to record lows, financial counsellors at Consumer Action Law Centre have advised prospective borrowers to consider the longer term and w...

July 27, 2014

Media Release: Murray Inquiry – focus on fairness welcome for consumers

Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the interim report from the Murray Inquiry into Australia’s financial system, and its acknowledgment that fairness, along with stability and efficiency, are imp...

July 15, 2014

Media Release: Revised debt collection guideline should improve industry conduct

Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the revised Debt Collection Guideline published by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commi...

July 8, 2014

Media Release: Making home insurance fair and simple – Consumer Action welcomes new report findings

A new report by the Office of the Fire Services Levy Monitor has lifted the veil on Australia’s home insurance industry, exposing high profits, poor product and price disclosure, and a severe lack of...

July 3, 2014

Media Release: Inquiry recommends changes to ASIC

Consumer Action welcomes much of the findings of the Senate Standing Committees on Economics Inquiry into the Performance of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), and commends A...

June 30, 2014

Media release: Single mother of four appeals VCAT second-hand car decision to Supreme Court

A Victorian mother of four has requested leave to appeal a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) decision in the Supreme Court. She took M&G Motors to VCAT in January 2014, seeking a...

June 11, 2014

Media release: Commission of Audit recommendation to cut funding for financial counselling fails struggling families

Thousands of Victorian working families, pensioners and those in financial hardship will be the biggest losers if the Federal Government adopts yesterday’s Commission of Audit recommendation to cut fu...

May 2, 2014

Media release: Dozo car sales ordered to pay $2,150 after breaching consumer guarantees

Dozo Car Sales has been ordered to pay $2,150 to a vulnerable consumer after it refused, within a reasonable time, to provide a refund on a defective car and, instead, bought it back at a reduced pric...

April 9, 2014

Media release: New fund to protect consumers from dodgy or fly by night builders

Victorians building or extending their homes can do so with greater confidence following the Victorian Government’s announcement of a Building Consumer Protection Fund to protect consumers from dodgy...

April 8, 2014

Media release: Charging $120 to bankrupt? Sadly it’s no April fool’s joke

Charging struggling Australians a filing fee for bankruptcy is like trying to get blood from a stone. Consumer advocates and financial counselling agencies say the $120 fee, to be charged from 1 April...

April 1, 2014

Media release: More than 1 in 2 consumers are throwing their mobile allowance in the trash

Three leading consumer organisations have joined forces, calling on Australians to stop throwing away their monthly mobile phone allowance and help drive greater competition from providers. New resea...

March 12, 2014

Media release: New laws give credit providers access to more of your information

Wednesday 12 March marks the introduction of a new credit reporting system which will collect far more information about Australians’ credit history. The extra information is supposed to help credit p...

March 11, 2014

Media release: Consumer advocate welcomes Government focus on lease providers

Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the Federal Government’s proposal to extend consumer protections to short term and indefinite leases, which aren’t covered by national credit laws. These leases...

February 26, 2014

Media release: Australian households to get their say on rising energy bills

Australians are being asked their opinion on a proposal to stop energy retailers increasing prices mid contract. Consumer advocates have been frustrated that current market rules allow retailers to in...

February 13, 2014

Media release: Advocates object to new fee for entering bankruptcy

A coalition of consumer advocates and financial counselling agencies has expressed dismay at a plan to charge Australians filing for bankruptcy. The Australian Financial Security Authority (ASFA) has...

February 12, 2014

Media release: High cost of car cases in VCAT putting justice out of reach

A Victorian couple has successfully used the Australian Consumer Law to claim $17,495 from Melbourne Street Cars after it sold her a faulty 2003 Nissan X Trail. But while the victory in the Victorian...

February 10, 2014

Media release: End energy retailers’ free ride

New proposal to fix energy prices for length of contract Energy retailers would be banned from increasing a customer’s tariff mid contract under a proposal to be considered by the Australian Energy M...

January 29, 2014

Media release: Consumer protections can drive economic growth and innovation in financial system

Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the Federal Government’s inquiry into Australia’s financial system. In its submission on the inquiry’s draft terms of reference, Consumer Action has suggested t...

December 2, 2013

Media release: The numbers show Consumer Credit Insurance is a poor deal for consumers

New figures from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority show Australians spent $330 million on Consumer Credit Insurance in the twelve months to June this year, yet only 23 cents in every doll...

November 27, 2013

Media release: Repeal of carbon price to expose broken, uncompetitive energy markets

Politicians and policymakers who believe a move away from carbon pricing will result in a drop in retail electricity prices haven’t been paying attention – Australia’s retail energy markets are broken...

November 7, 2013

Media release: Cash Converters sued for breaching its responsible lending obligations

Two Cash Converters franchises are being sued in the Magistrates Court by a Victorian mother who received 83 payday loans over three and a half years–54 of which were loans from Cash Converters outlet...

October 31, 2013

Media release: Review finds online lenders are reluctant to embrace the spirit of new regulations

A review conducted by the Consumer Action Law Centre has found that some online lenders providing 'payday loans' are reluctant to embrace the spirit of new regulations intended to provide consumers wi...

October 22, 2013

Press statement: Consumer groups welcome desalination plant refinancing

Consumer Action Law Centre and Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre (CUAC) have welcomed news that Melbourne households would benefit from the early refinancing of the desalination plant project. ‘Ma...

October 15, 2013

Media release: Federal Court finds Do Not Knock Sign is ‘an unambiguous request to leave the premises’

The inventor of the Do Not Knock sticker has welcomed today’s Federal Court ruling that the sticker is legally enforceable under the Australian Consumer Law. The decision means ignoring the sticker co...

October 11, 2013

Joint media release: Some win, some lose in concessions shakeup

New restrictions on Victoria’s energy concessions will make it harder for some low income Victorians to access affordable electricity and gas, and discriminate against concession holders based upon th...

October 11, 2013

Media release: Maurice Blackburn class action to highlight the sad truth about payday lending

Consumer Action Law Centre welcomes Maurice Blackburn’s class action against Cash Converters, which alleges Cash Converters ‘illegally exploited thousands of financially struggling Australians by impo...

October 10, 2013

Media release: ASIC case against The Cash Store to shape the future of payday lending

One of Australia’s biggest payday lenders, The Cash Store, will face allegations of irresponsible lending and unconscionable conduct before the Federal Court. The case being brought by the Australian...

September 12, 2013

Media release: Australian Power and Gas the latest energy retailer taken to court over door-to-door selling

The organisation behind the national Do Not Knock campaign, has welcomed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Federal Court proceedings against Australian Power & Gas Compan...

September 11, 2013