Submission Archives - Consumer Action Law Centre

Victorian Default Offer to apply from 1 January 2020 Issues Paper

The Victorian Default Offer (VDO) was designed to re-regulate electricity pricing to ensure that more Victorian households receive a fair price on their electricity service. Since the VDO’s establishm...

ASIC Consultation Paper 313: Product intervention power

We welcome the introduction of the product intervention power (PIP) and look forward to ASIC using the power to target businesses that cause consumer detriment by engaging in predatory conduct or fail...

ASIC Consultation Paper 316: Using the product intervention power: Short term credit

Businesses such as Cigno Pty Ltd, which facilitate access to predatory and unregulated payday loans by exploiting loopholes in the law, are on notice as the Australian Securities and Investment Commis...

Insurance in super: Putting Members’ Interests First Bill 2019

Consumer Action Law Centre and Financial Rights Legal Centre made a joint submission to the Senate Economics Legislation Committee’s inquiry into provisions of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Putting Mem...

Victoria’s Mental Health Royal Commission must examine links between links between poverty, debt and mental health

Consumer Action’s financial counsellors and lawyers speak regularly to individuals experiencing mental health issues. These individuals are commonly trying to deal with a range of consumer problems in...

Energy Security Board Strategic Energy Plan consultation on proposed metrics

Ensuring energy contracts are clear and fair, ESC Issues Paper

Deregulation in Victoria’s energy retail market has not delivered fair outcomes for all households accessing their essential energy services. The State Government has taken a number of steps to hel...

Banks should recognise that anyone can become vulnerable: Submission to ABA Guideline on Customer Vulnerability

There are any number of reasons why a person would be unable to unwilling to speak up when they are struggling with their financial situation. Who among us hasn’t faced a financial issue at one poi...

Essential Services Commission Consequential amendments related to the Victorian Default Offer Draft Decision

Generally, we strongly support this Draft Decision as it makes clear that energy retailers must ensure that they inform households in Victoria of new protections and options available when choosing an...

New Energy Tech Consumer Code ACCC application

Energy is an essential service and the energy system is rapidly transitioning to new technologies. Householders are finding it increasingly complex, confusing and risky to make decisions about their e...

ASIC must overhaul responsible lending guidance to protect Australians

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) has called on the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) to urgently overhaul responsible lending guidance to better protect Australians fr...

Proposed AFCA arrangements for comparative reporting of complaint data

Comparative reporting of data related to complaints against financial service providers will empower consumers to make informed decisions about where to take their business. Consumer Action Law Centr...

ACCC Northern Australia Insurance Inquiry First Interim Report

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) strongly supports the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) important work on insurance pricing and the operation of insurance markets in...

Insurance Claims Handling: Taking Action on Recommendation 4.8 of the Banking, Superannuation & Financial Services Royal Commission

Claims handling is the most critical part of the insurance process for many consumers. Unfortunately, ‘legal loopholes’ have caused undue stress and delayed resolutions for too many consumers in thei...

Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Draft Orders in Council to implement the Victorian Default Offer

The Victorian Default Offer (VDO) for the state’s energy market must be available to all Victorians or its objective to ‘provide a simple, trusted and reasonably priced electricity option that safegua...

Submission to Updating the regulatory arrangements for embedded networks

CALC is supportive of the AEMC’s proposed regulatory framework for new embedded networks, as equity in consumer protections should not be dependent on the business model of the supplier of energy. I...

Treasury Consultation Paper: Enforceability of financial services industry codes

Industry codes – often referred to as codes of conduct – can be useful when they genuinely improve standards in the relevant sector, provide meaningful rights for consumers and are complied with by in...

Submission on the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) Rules Changes

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the proposed changes to expand AFCA’s jurisdiction to deal with eligible complaints about conduct dating back to 1 J...

Essential Services Commission Draft Advice on the Victorian Default Offer Methodology

As part of its response to pressure to curb energy prices and address inequality within Victoria’s energy market, the Victorian Government recently introduced the Victorian Default Offer (VDO). The V...

Consultation on draft guidance of ‘unsafe’ and ‘reasonable durability’ of goods under the Australian Consumer Law

Clarification of consumer guarantees is essential according to Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action), but making information accessible must be a focus in newly proposed guidance about ‘unsafe’...

Senate Inquiry: Resolution of disputes with financial service providers within the justice system

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) has recommended that financial service providers be required to improve their approach to dispute resolution in its comments to the Senate Legal and Consti...

ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry

Consumer Action has made a submission to the ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry Preliminary Report. The submission focuses primarily on the proposal to develop a general prohibition against unfair practic...

Royal Commission into Mental Health Terms of Reference Consultation

Consumer Action has provided a submission to the Royal Commission into Mental Health Terms of Reference Consultation. We strongly support the Victorian Government’s announcement of this Royal Commi...

Helping customers engage confidently in the retail energy market draft decision

We support changes to regulation that will facilitate simple ways of resolving issues with estimated billing. While we support making consistent factsheets for energy offers that are easier to compreh...

2019-20 Pre-Budget Submission

Consumer Action has made a submission to The Australian Government Treasury’s 2019-20 Pre-Budget Submission process. We have focused this submission on two areas where budget action could make an imme...

Victorian Default Offer for small electricity customers – ESC staff working paper

We strongly support the ESC’s work to implement the VDO as a priority. Victorian households must have protected and simple access to a fair price for an essential service. In the period without price...

Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Finance Sector – Submission on Module 6 on insurance

Consumer Action made a submission to the Financial Services Royal Commission in October 2018 on the policy questions arising from Module 6 on insurance. Consumer Action has assisted people who have...

Insurance pricing differences: New vs existing customers

Consumer Action made a submission to the NSW Emergency Services Levy Insurance Monitor’s Discussion Paper, Pricing Differences: New vs Existing Customers. Insurance is a product that claims to reward...

Submission: Treasury Laws Amendment (Prohibiting Energy Market Misconduct Bill) 2018

Consumer Action has provided a submission to the Senate Economics Committee inquiry on the Treasury Laws Amendment (Prohibited Energy Market Misconduct Bill) 2018. We support the Bill, which will allo...

Submission: Consultation Draft Behind the Meter Distributed Energy Resources Provider Code

Consumer Action has provided feedback on the Consultation Draft Behind the Meter Distributed Energy Resources Provider Code. We consider: the name of the code should be readily understood by the...

ACCC monitoring of the electricity supply in the National Energy Market discussion paper

We welcome the ACCC’s ongoing inquiry into the prices, profits and margins in the supply of electricity in the NEM. A plethora of reports have established that the electricity market is not operating...

NSW Fair Trading Complaints Register Guidelines

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) has provided a submission on the draft NSW Fair Trading Complaints Register Guidelines (the Guidelines). The NSW Fair Trading Complaints Register provi...

Energy Security Board Strategic Energy Plan consultation on proposed metrics

We support the ESB developing a set of outcomes and objectives and associated tangible metrics that will measure whether these outcomes and objectives are achieved. We also support the metrics that ha...

Submission: PIP DADO Regulations

Consumer groups have commented on the exposure draft Corporations Amendment (Design and Distribution Obligations and Product Intervention Powers) Regulations 2018 (Cth) (the Regulations) and explanato...

Submission: Inquiry into credit and financial services targeted at Australians at risk of financial hardship

This Senate Inquiry is a crucial opportunity to close the regulatory loopholes exploited by fringe lenders and ‘debt help’ companies. These companies can entrench disadvantage for some of the most vul...

Debt Agreement Reform – Proposed Legislative Instruments

The Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Rights Legal Centre and Financial Counselling Australia provided a submission to the Attorney-General's Department on its Legislative Instruments Consultation...

Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Finance Sector – Submission on the Interim Report – Rounds 1 to 4

Consumer Action Law Centre has published its submission to the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry responding to the Interim Report and poli...

Submission: Reforms to strengthen penalties for corporate and financial sector misconduct – Draft Legislation

This submission supports the proposed increases to maximum criminal and civil penalties across a number of provisions, the expansion in provisions subject to penalties, and the power to obtain disgorg...

Submission: Senate Inquiry into PIP/DADO Bill

We continue to strongly support the introduction of the Design and Distribution Obligations (DADOs) and Product Intervention Powers (PIP) for the reasons outlined in our previous submissions. As noted...

National Energy Retail Amendment (Strengthening Protections for Customers in Hardship) Rule 2018 Draft Rule Determination

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the National Energy Retail Amendment (Strengthening Protections for Customers in Hardship) Rule 2018 Draft Rule...

Submission: ESC Draft Decision – Building trust through new customer entitlements in the retail energy market

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Commission’s Draft Decision, Building trust through new customer entitlements in the retail energy market (D...

Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Finance Sector – Submission on Round 6 Hearings (Case Studies)

Consumer Action Law Centre has published its submission to the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry following the Round 6 hearings on insuran...

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