Submission: 2015-16 Federal Budget
Consumer Action welcomes the Government’s invitation to the Australian community to provide input to the 2015-16 Commonwealth Budget. We continue to be mindful of the current economic conditions and...
Submission: National Approach to Electricity Network Tariff Reform
Consumer Action and the Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre have provided input to the Energy Networks Association's position paper, Towards a National Approach to Electricity Network Tariff Reform. O...
Submission: Facilitating electronic financial services disclosure
Consumer Action has provided a submission on the Australian Securities and Investments Commission's Consultation Paper 224: Facilitating electronic financial services disclosure. Our responses to the...
Submission: Legal Services Council’s consultation on General Rules
Consumer Action and Financial Rights Legal Centre have made a joint submission to the Legal Services Council's consultation on the proposed General Rules under the Legal Profession Uniform Law. Our s...
Submission: Law Council of Australia’s consultation on Uniform Rules
Consumer Action and Financial Rights Legal Centre have made a joint submission to the Law Council of Australia's current consultation on the proposed Legal Practice Rules (Solicitors) and Legal Profes...
Submission: The performance and management of electricity network companies
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications about the performance and management of electricity network companie...
Submission: 2015 Retail Competition Review Approach Consultation Paper
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the approach to the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) 2015 Retail Competition Review. Effective competition is critical for ener...
Submission: Competition Policy Review Draft Report
Consumer Action has provided comment on the Draft Report of the Competition Policy Review. Key points We agree that an effective competition policy must be focused on making markets work in the lon...
Submission: Revisions to the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Industry Code
Consumer Action has provided the following thoughts on the proposed revisions to the Communications Alliance Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Industry Code (DR C628:2014). Duplication bet...
Submission: Energy Green Paper
Consumer Action has provided the following submission to the Department of Industry on the Energy Green Paper. Australia’s energy market is rapidly changing, with the unprecedented fall in energy d...
Submission: Key Recommendations arising from the Review of Enforcement Regimes under the National Energy Laws Final Report
Consumer Action has provided comment on the Discussion Paper on Key Recommendations arising from the Review of Enforcement Regimes under the National Energy Laws Final Report. Consumer Action provided...
Submission: AEMC Rule Change on Distribution Network Pricing Arrangements Draft Determination
Consumer Action, Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre and Victorian Council of Social Service have provided input into the AEMC's draft determination on distribution network pricing arrangements. Our o...
Submission: Retailer Price Variations in Market Retail Contracts
Consumer Action and Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre have made a supplementary submission on the Australian Energy Market Commission's Draft Rule Determination: Retailer Price Variations in Market...
Media release: Competition Policy Review Draft Report welcomed, but panellists urged to consider consumer experience and protection
Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the Competition Policy Review Draft Report and its emphasis ‘on protecting competition and not competitors.’ But Consumer Action will be asking the review’s pan...
Submission: AEMC Rule Change on Customer Access to Information about their Energy Consumption
As in Consumer Action's previous submission to the consultation paper, we agree with the premise of the rule change that 'in practice it is difficult for customers to access their data from market par...
Submission: The Forrest Review and the Healthy Welfare Card
Consumer Choice We have concerns that forcing welfare recipients to receive and spend their benefits on a certain card will adversely affect their consumer choice. By limiting their ability to pay wit...
Submission: Financial System Inquiry – Improving Consumer Disclosure
The Financial System Inquiry Interim Report notes that the current disclosure regime for retail financial products and services is not always effective in meeting its objective. It produces complex an...
Submission: National Energy Retail Amendment (Retailer price variations in market retail contracts) Rule 2014 Draft Determination
Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre (CUAC) and Consumer Action are pleased that the Australian Energy Market Commission – and other bodies, such as the Australian Energy Regulator, Energy Retailers Ass...
Submission: Senate Inquiry into the extent of income inequality in Australia
Consumer Action has provided comment on the extent of, and impact of, income inequality in Australia. We are concerned by the signals of distress from the most vulnerable in our community and their i...
Submission: Financial System Inquiry Interim Report
Consumer Action welcomed the panel's interim report, particularly that fairness, as much as stability and efficiency, are important objectives for the financial system. We strongly support the panel's...
Joint submission: EWON prepayment meter discussion paper
Consumer advocates and welfare agencies have submitted a joint submission to the Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW’s prepayment meter discussion paper. We support joint work by consumer groups, ombudsme...
Submission: Consultation on proposed credit repair guideline
Consumer Action has provided comment on Credit Ombudsman Service's proposed guideline on credit repair. We welcome this proposal, and recommend that the Credit Ombudsman: reword the proposed guidel...
Joint submission: Financial Ombudsman Service proposed Terms of Reference Changes
Consumer Action and Financial Rights Legal Centre have provided comment on the Financial Ombudsman Service's proposed Terms of Reference changes. The consultation paper notes that operational guideli...
Submission: Insurance Duty of Disclosure
Consumer Action has provided comments on the Commonwealth Treasury's proposed notices which explain the duty of disclosure consumers have when buying insurance. We broadly support these regulations, b...
Submission: Consultation on Victorian Solicitors’ Conduct Rules
Consumer Action has made a submission to the Consultation on Victorian Solicitors’ Conduct Rules. We regularly assist debtors who are being pursued by lawyers or law firms acting on behalf of debt col...
Submission: Competition Policy Review Issues Paper
Consumer Action has made a submission on the Competition Policy Review Issues Paper. The key points and recommendations are outlined below: While effective competition generally ensures market outc...
Joint Submission: Economic regulation, governance and efficiency in the Victorian water sector
Consumer Action, the Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre and the Victorian Council of Social Service welcome the opportunity to comment on the May 2014 Preliminary Advice from the Independent Reviewer....
Submission: AEMC Rule Change on Customer Access to Information about their Energy Consumption
Consumer Action recognises the great potential for advanced metering to enhance consumers' understanding of their own energy consumption, and acknowledges that it can be an important link for consumer...
Submission: AEMC Rule Change on Expanding Competition in Metering and Related Services
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the AEMC's rule change proposal to expand competition in metering and related services. Consumer Action recognises the great potential f...
Joint submission: Productivity Commission’s Access to Justice draft report
Consumer Action and Consumer Credit Legal Centre NSW have made an extensive submission to the Productivity Commission's Access to Justice draft report. A summary of our submission is below or you can...
Submission: Review of the 2020 Renewable Energy Target
The Consumer Action Law Centre welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the Federal Government’s review of Australia’s Renewable Energy Target (RET). Consumer Action is an independent, not-for-...
Submission: Financial Systems Inquiry Terms of Reference
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Financial Systems Inquiry. The submission below responds to the Inquiry's terms of reference released on 20 December 2013. The submission...
Joint submission: DSDBI Consultation Paper – Reforms to Retail Regulation 2014 and Planned Outages
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Draft Consultation Paper – Reforms to Retail Regulation 2014 and Planned Outages. We strongly support the Minister’s proposal to increase th...
Submission: Consumer Credit Regulations
Consumer Action and the Consumer Credit Legal Centre NSW have made a joint submission to Treasury on exposure draft consumer credit regulations affecting payday lenders. In summary, we are supportive...
Submission: Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria independent review issues paper
This submission is the result of a collaboration between the Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre, the Victorian Council of Social Services, Consumer Action Law Centre and the Financial and Consumer Rig...
Submission: AEMC’s 2014 Retail Competition Review
Consumer Action has provided comment on the Australian Energy Market Commission’s (the AEMC) 2014 Retail Competition Review Approach Paper. We welcome ongoing reviews of competition within retail mar...
Submission: Filing fees for debtors’ petitions, overseas travel requests and an increase to the realisations charge
A scan of Consumer Action's casework records (including both our legal advice and financial counselling services) reveals that we have on record at least 1900 calls from low income and vulnerable clie...
Submission: Final Report on the Review of Enforcement Regimes under the National Energy Laws
Consumer Action has made a submission to the Standing Council on Energy (SCER) on the Final Report: Review of the Enforcement Regimes under the National Energy Laws Consumer Action supports many of t...
Submission: ACCC consideration of AGL Energy’s proposed acquisition of Macquarie Generation
Consumer Action has made a submission to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in response to its Statement of Issues on AGL Energy Limited (AGL) proposed acquisition of the busine...
Submission: AEMC’s review of electricity customer switching options paper
Consumer Action supports the Commission undertaking this review and we agree that timely and accurate transfer processes can "support customer choice" and "confidence" in the competitive retail market...
Submission: Energy White Paper 2014
Consumer Action was pleased to have the opportunity to comment on the Energy White Paper 2014. Our submission is available here....
Submission: 2014-15 Federal Budget
Consumer Action welcomes the Government’s invitation to the Australian community to provide input to the 2014-15 Commonwealth Budget. We are mindful of the current economic conditions and their imp...
Submission: Debt agreement administrators’ guidelines relating to advertising
Consumer Action's MoneyHelp financial counselling practice helps disadvantaged, low income Victorian consumers who are experiencing severe financial distress consumers Victorians, some of who have use...
Submission: Do Not Call Register – registration period
Consumer Action support removing the registration period for the Do Not Call Register so that registration is indefinite (Option Three in the Discussion Paper[i]). Customers actively opt out of unsol...
Submission: Changes to Credit Ombudsman Scheme Rules
Consumer Action had provided comment on the Credit Ombudsman Service’s proposes changes to COSL Rules: 9th Edition. We commend the Credit Ombudsman Service on its drafting of the proposed changes, mo...
Submission: ACCC / ASIC Debt Collection Guideline
Consumer Action has provided comment on the review of the ACCC / ASIC Debt Collection Guideline for Collectors and Creditors. The revised draft Guideline is a significant improvement on the existing...
Submission: Financial System Inquiry—Draft Terms of Reference
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to comment on the draft terms of reference for the Financial System Inquiry. In summary, we recommend that: the overall objective for the Inquiry could be e...
Submission: Energy Assured Limited – Revocation and Substitution – A91390 & A91391
Consumer Action’s 2011 submissions to the Code authorisation process recommended the ACCC refuse to authorise the applications, on the grounds that the proposal did not actually improve existing consu...
Submission: Review of the regulation of owners’ corporation managers
Consumer Action has provided comment to the Review of the regulation of owners’ corporation managers Issues Paper. Our submission makes two primary recommendations: that the unfair contract term pr...
Submission: AER Alternative Energy Sellers – Issues Paper
Consumer Action supports the AER's approach in attempting to identify a suitable outcome for consumers in an evolving and increasingly complex energy market. We have provided some comments to encourag...