Media Release - Consumer Action Law Centre

Media release: New report highlights procedural failings in Magistrates Court—80 per cent of small money claims go undefended

A new report from the Consumer Action Law Centre calls for changes to Magistrates Court procedures to protect consumers from inaccurate law suits and inappropriate judgments. Each year 30,000 to 40,00...

Media release: New payday lending protections welcome, but lenders get a back door to charge more fees

This week marks the introduction of new consumer protections in the payday lending industry. Payday lenders—which lend small amounts of money to low-income Australians at huge interest rates—are now r...

Media release: Now’s our chance to extend unfair contract term laws to insurance

Consumer Action Law Centre and Insurance Law Service have welcomed the introduction of a bill into Federal Parliament that, if passed, will mean that unfair contract term laws will be extended to gene...

Media release: ASIC action exposes funeral insurance advertising tricks

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has blown the whistle on the funeral insurance industry’s advertising tricks by publicly airing concerns about the advertising of Hollard Fi...

Media release: Revised water plan welcomed by consumer advocates

Today’s announcement from the Essential Services Commission (ESC), which sets metropolitan water prices for the next five years, has been welcomed by two of Victoria’s leading consumer advocate organi...

Media release: Do Not Knock campaign has another win

Consumer Action Law Centre’s Do Not Knock campaign notched up another win today, with Origin Energy announcing it will stop using door to door selling by 30 September 2013. Origin’s announcement comes...

Media release: Financial Counselling groups welcome banks’ new hardship package

Financial Counselling Australia, the Consumer Action Law Centre and the Consumer Credit Legal Centre have welcomed a new hardship package released by the Australian Bankers Association (ABA) today. T...

Media Release: $1.5 million fine for AGL as the costs of door-to-door marketing misconduct start to add up for energy retailers

The Consumer Action Law Centre, the organisation behind the successful Do Not Knock sticker and campaign, has welcomed a Federal Court decision that AGL Sales Pty Ltd and AGL South Australia Pty Ltd p...

Fresh start or false hope: Are debt agreement administrators overstating their abilities?

A debt agreement, regulated by the Bankruptcy Act, is an option available to a debtor as a way of dealing with unmanageable debt. Debt agreements typically involve a compromise with creditors on the t...

Media release: Improved concessions and hardship programs will be the key if water price rises proceed

Improved access to water concessions and affordable payment plans will be paramount if the Essential Services Commission (ESC) proceeds with its draft decision to allow metropolitan water retailers to...

Media release: Pensioner sues two Cash Converters lenders in the Magistrates’ Court

A Victorian Disability Support Pensioner has issued proceedings in the Magistrates' Court against two Cash Converters lenders.[1] Consumer Action's client alleges that over approximately a three year...

Media Release: AGL is second energy retailer in as many days to agree to blanket cessation of door-to-door sales – Consumer Action calls on others to follow their lead

Householders should soon notice a meaningful decrease in visits from unwanted energy hawkers, with the announcement by a second major energy retailer, AGL, that it too will cease all door-to-door sell...

Media release: EnergyAustralia leads industry in ending door-to-door sales

EnergyAustralia’s announcement that it will end door-to-door marketing will be warmly welcomed by Australian households. Last year the Consumer Action Law Centre surveyed consumers regarding their vie...

Mr Rental enters into enforceable undertaking

Mr Rental Australia Pty Ltd, a household goods rental business, has entered into an enforceable undertaking with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) under which it will provide...

Media release: Proposed taxi overhaul receives strong backing from consumers

Victoria’s specialist independent consumer law and advocacy centre believes the recommendations of Professor Allan Fels' Taxi Industry Inquiry will significantly improve the industry if implemented co...

Media release: Questions raised about students’ entitlement to refund of NAB loans

The Consumer Action Law Centre is urging consumers who took out loans with the National Australia Bank to pay for course fees with the College of Creative Arts and Technology, and who did not get to...

Media release: Internship company Borch Leeman consents to pay $2500 to unhappy customer

Internship company Borch Leeman has agreed to pay $2,500 to a disgruntled customer who claimed it had, amongst other things, imposed unfair contract terms and breached consumer guarantees in contraven...

Media Release: Consumer group welcomes extension of unfair terms protections to insurance contracts

Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the announcement from Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury that unfair contract term laws will be extended to general insurance contracts. Protections against unf...

Media release: ASIC asked to investigate Radio Rentals and its ‘rent try $1 buy’ offer

The Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the release of the Australian Securities & Investments Commission's (ASIC) updated Good Practice Guidance for Credit and Financial Service Advertising a...

Media release: Review of energy retailers’ customer service is damning

The Essential Services Commission’s (ESC) annual review of Energy retailers’ customer service performance is damning of the industry’s ability to assist struggling households. The Consumer Action Law...

Media release: Victorian Building Authority a chance to recast fundamentally flawed consumer protection system

Consumer Action has welcomed the Victorian Government plan to establish a new body to oversee and enforce regulation in the domestic building industry. Consumer Action believes the creation of the Vic...

Media release: Consumer Group hits out at Energy Retail Code

The Energy Retail Code, which allows energy retailers to increase the price of electricity multiple times during the term of a contract, has come under fire from the Consumer Action Law Centre. In a l...

Media release: New consumer report makes practical recommendations on energy market reform

A new report from the Consumer Action Law Centre, A Policy Trilemma: creating an affordable, secure and sustainable energy market, authored by former UK EnergyWatch CEO and former Commonwealth Ombudsm...

Media release: Frenzied Christmas shopping can lead to a debt filled new year

On the eve of web marketing event Click frenzy, MoneyHelp has warned Australian consumers to consider their next credit card bill before proceeding to the virtual checkout. MoneyHelp, one of Australia...

Media release: Energy White Paper a significant improvement on draft

Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the Federal Government's Energy White Paper, which it believes is a significant improvement from the draft. The Centre said that it was pleasing that the White...

Media release: Warning to consumers who are desperate to buy or sell a home

Consumer Action Law Centre is warning consumers about schemes which link up people who are desperate to sell their homes with people who are looking to buy but are unable to get a loan. 'These types...

Media release: Federal Court finds ACM Group’s misleading or deceptive conduct was ‘not just widespread, it was systemic’

A Federal Court ruling, which found debt collection agency ACM Group (and its predecessor Accounts Control Management Services) engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct as well as undue harassment...

Media release: Energy debate must address the real drivers of the unnecessary electricity price increases

The Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed comments made by Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Chairman Rod Sims warning that the energy reform debate must address the real drivers...

Media release: Superannuation Consumer Centre recognises the importance of independent advocacy

Working Australians will benefit from the Federal Government’s $10 million investment to establish a Superannuation Consumer Centre. The Consumer Action Law Centre said that the plan to establish a co...

Media release: New case to highlight consumer protections in second hand car market

A new case lodged with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) highlights the Australian Consumer Law’s (ACL) ‘consumer guarantee’ provisions and their ability to deal with disputes ove...

Joint media release: Consumer groups fear small debts could lead to big problems for Australian consumers

This is a joint media release from Financial Counselling Australia, Australian Privacy Foundation, Australian Communication Consumer Action Network, Consumer Credit Legal Centre NSW and Consumer Actio...

Media release: Landmark Federal Court decision a ringing endorsement of the Do Not Knock sticker

The Consumer Action Law Centre, creator of the Do Not Knock sticker and the organisation behind www.donotknock.org.au, has welcomed a Federal Court decision which found that salespeople who ignore vis...

Media release: Committee’s rejection of a Do Not Knock register can’t be the end of the debate

The Consumer Action Law Centre, the organisation behind the national ‘Do Not Knock campaign’, says a Federal Parliamentary committee's rejection of a private members bill designed to establish a do no...

Media release: Consumer Action welcomes High Court ruling on bank penalty fees

Consumer Action has welcomed today's High Court ruling which found that a number of different bank fees are capable of being considered unlawful penalties. The Centre, whose predecessor Consumer Law C...

Media release: Parliamentary inquiry told door-to-door sales cause consumer detriment and hinder competition

The organisation which invented the Do Not Knock sticker and is behind the national Do Not Knock campaign has made a submission to a Federal Parliamentary inquiry into the Do Not Knock Register Bill 2...

Media release: Consumer Credit Legislation Amendment Bill offers mixed bag for consumers

Consumer advocates today acknowledged the passing of the Consumer Credit Legislation Amendment (Enhancements) Bill 2012 (the Enhancements Bill) by the Australian Parliament, but were disappointed at t...

Media release: Bulk complaint made against Motor Finance Wizard to the Credit Ombudsman Service

The Consumer Action Law Centre has assisted consumers to lodge a bulk complaint against DTGV1 Pty Ltd (which trades as Motor Finance Wizard in Victoria). Gerard Brody, Director of Policy and Campaign...

Media release: New report shows why greater consumer protections are needed in payday lending

The Consumer Action Law Centre has written to the Minister for Financial Services, the Hon Bill Shorten MP, and members of the Senate in a last ditch attempt to get vital consumer protections introduc...

Media release: Explore all your options before buying education software

The Consumer Action Law Centre regularly receives complaints about the in home sale of very expensive educational software and, sadly, many of these complaints come from families who have recently mig...

Media release: Do Not Knock campaign lodges 100 door-to-door selling complaints with ACCC

Over 100 complaints about door-to-door salespeople have now been lodged with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) since the national Do Not Knock campaign was launched in November...

Media release: New report offers a snapshot of debt collection practices in the Victorian energy sector

A new report from the Consumer Action Law Centre gives an insight into the experiences of a number of Victorian energy consumers who had their energy debts passed onto external debt collectors. The pu...

Media release: Time to build new consumer protections from the bottom up

In its response to a Victorian Government consultation paper, Consumer Action urged the Government to take decisive action, arguing small reforms around the edges would do little to help consumers see...

Media release: Credit Enhancements Bill a ‘win’ for payday lenders

Consumer advocates and financial counsellors have lamented the lost opportunity to effectively protect vulnerable Australians from exploitative payday and short term loans. While pleased that the Gov...

Media release: Credit limit regulations so soft they’re almost redundant

The Consumer Action Law Centre has lamented that federal regulations designed to limit the harm caused by unsolicited credit limit increase offers have been watered down to the point where they are al...

Media release: Australians fed up with door-to-door sales urged to sign new petition

The Consumer Action Law Centre, tired of hearing stories of salespeople taking advantage of the vulnerable Australians, has launched a petition calling on Australia’s energy retailers to voluntarily e...

Media release: ‘Payment protection plan’ sold by The Cash Store offers borrower little protection

Consumer Action Law Centre and the Consumer Credit Legal Centre NSW have questioned whether it was appropriate for payday loan broker The Cash Store to sell a ‘payment protection plan’—a loan insuranc...

Media release: More door-to-door complaints sent to ACCC, but further protections needed

Another 26 complaints about door-to-door salespeople have been lodged with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) as part of the Consumer Action Law Centre’s Do Not Knock Campaign....

Media release: ATM Taskforce delivers for remote communities, but more needs to be done

The Federal Government’s ATM Taskforce has delivered a mixed bag for consumers in its reports on transparency and competition according to the Consumer Action Law Centre. The Centre lauded moves to ab...

Media release: Punk Jobs ordered to refund $1150 to unhappy job seeker

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) has ordered Punk Jobs to repay $1150 to a dissatisfied customer who alleged he was mislead and that Punk Jobs failed to deliver promised services...

Media release: Linked credit case could cast doubt on more NAB student loans

The Consumer Action Law Centre has lodged a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) against the National Australia Bank (NAB) and is seeking to have its client’s NAB student loan terminat...

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