Next steps for the Victorian Default Offer
Consumer Action Law Centre welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Essential Services Commission’s (the Commisson) consultation paper Next steps for the Victorian Default Offer. These comments...
Consultation on Draft Regulator Performance Guide
We support the Government’s planned introduction of a new framework to replace the existing 2014 Regulator Performance Framework (Old Framework), which is considerably flawed and outdated. The Draft G...
Framework for reform –Modernising Victoria’s building system
This submission responds primarily to the proposed improvements relating to consumer protection, in particular, the proposals to: Improve existing advocacy and support services for individual con...
Gambling should not be funded by credit
While gambling is a legitimate form of entertainment for many Australians, we believe it should not be funded by credit and support a prohibition on the use of credit cards, including via e-wallets, f...
The 2021 Water Price Review –Melbourne Water Draft Decision
Access to water is a basic human right. All Victorians are entitled to a supply of water necessary for an adequate standard of living. Fundamental to this is that water services remain affordable for...
Retirement Villages Act Review –our Options Paper submission
Consumer Action, with COTA Victoria, Residents of Retirement Villages Victoria (RRVV) and Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG), is a coalition of residents and consumer rights groups that have ass...
Implementing the Royal Commission recommendations: The deferred sales model for add-on insurance
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) and Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financial Rights) broadly support the content of the draft regulatory guide for the industry-wide direct sales model (DS...
Review of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority
Contributors to this submission have supported and represented thousands of people in disputes with financial services providers and superannuation funds over many years. This includes extensive exper...
Consumer remediation: Update to Regulatory Guide 256
We strongly support a continuing focus on consumer remediation by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in its enforcement. Remediation programs have been a very welcome develop...
Our concerns about proposed changes to the governance standards for registered charities
Our submission to the Charities Consultation @Treasury.gov.au expresses our concerns about proposed changes to the governance standards for registered charities. We consider the proposed changes ar...
Australian Communications Media Authority compliance priorities
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) and WEstjustice welcome the opportunity to contribute to the development of ACMA compliance priorities for 2021 –2022, hence our submission. The past ye...
People should not be living in poverty in Australia
“The Coronavirus Supplement was life changing for people who had long survived on the abhorrent amount Newstart (or JobSeeker) had been set at for years. For so long, they had to be great money manage...
Victoria’s Embedded Networks Review: Our response
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Embedded Networks Review (the Review) Issues Paper. We support the Victorian Government’s decision to ban emb...
Licensing debt management firms: Exposure draft regulations
While some businesses stepped up to help Australians to recover from the COVID-19 crisis, others have simply sought to profit from people’s desperate financial circumstances. Debt management firms(...
Submission: Consultation on revision to the new Prudential Standard APS 220 Credit Risk Management
This submission is from Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Rights Legal Centre, Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, CHOICE, Financial Counselling Australia, Consumer Credit Law Service (W...
Right to Repair submission to Productivity Commission Inquiry
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into a right to repair. The ability for consumers to access afford...
Deferred sales model for add-on insurance – exemptions by class
This submission is made by Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Rights Legal Centre and WEstjustice. We oppose any exemptions for classes of add-on insurance products from the deferred sales model...
Submission: National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment (Supporting Economic Recovery) Bill 2020
This submission is made on behalf of Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action), Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financial Rights), Financial Counselling Australia, Consumer Credit Legal Service (WA)...
Product intervention power for continuing credit contracts – some further considerations
Consumer Action, Financial Rights Legal Centre and WEstjustice have made a second submission to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s (ASIC) Consultation Paper 330 (CP 330), in which A...
Treasury consultation: Consumer Credit Reforms our submission
A coalition of consumer advocates have published a submission on exposure draft legislation that would repeal responsible lending laws in the National Consumer Credit Protection Act. The submission p...
Stop The Debt Trap Alliance supports South Australian Bill for enhanced consumer protections
The Stop The Debt Trap Alliance has provided feedback on the draft Fair Trading (Small Amount Credit Contracts and Consumer Leases) Amendment Bill 2020 (SA). The Alliance) is a coalition of consume...
We support enhanced protections for South Australians from payday loans and high-cost leases
Consumer Action has provided a submission on the draft Fair Trading (Small Amount Credit Contracts and Consumer Leases) Amendment Bill 2020 (SA) (the SA Bill). Consumer Action strongly supports the...
The Rooftop Solar Sector Review: Our Submission
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the Clean Energy Regulator’s (CER) review into the rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) sector. There has been...
Modernising the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Terms of Reference
Westjustice, Consumer Action Legal Centre (‘Consumer Action’), Financial Rights Legal Service(‘FRLS’), and Financial Counselling Australia (‘FCA’) provide legal casework and financial counselling serv...
Victorian Default Offer 2021 – Draft Decision
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Essential Service Commission’s (the Commission) Victorian Default Offer 2021 Draft Decision (the Draft Decision)...
Not serving the community: Why we oppose the Cashless Debit Card scheme
Consumer Action seeks to enhance the rights of consumers and promote a marketplace where business plays fair. The Cashless Debit Card (CDC) undermines the role of the market in serving consumer and...
Telecommunications Consumer Safeguards: Choice and Fairness
Consumer Action, WEstjustice, VALS, FCVic, BCLS, HRCLS and HAAG consider it beyond dispute that telecommunications services, including internet services and mobile phones, are necessary for social inc...
Modernising the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Terms of Reference
WEstjustice, Consumer Action Legal Centre, Financial Rights Legal Service, and Financial Counselling Australia provide legal casework and financial counselling services to consumers, particularly thos...
The sale of add-on financial products through car yard intermediaries
Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Rights Legal Centre and WEstjustice have made a submission to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) Consultation – Product intervention: The...
Inquiry into Victoria’s Response to COVID-19
COVID-19 has deeply affected the Victorian community in unprecedented ways. With a significant number of job losses and most of the population staying at home in compliance with public health orders,...
Using the product intervention power: Continuing credit contracts
The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) is consulting on using its product intervention powers (PIP) against the second Cigno lending model. Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer...
Submission to the Essential Services Commission on the Victorian Default Offer
Consumer Action has made a submission to the Essential Services Commission on the Victorian Default Offer electricity price that is to apply from 1 January 2021. We consider that there is room to r...
Supporting energy customers through the coronavirus pandemic – Draft Decision
COVID-19 has caused significant disruption to households in Victoria and has highlighted the need to ensure that people’s health is not put at risk because of barriers to accessing energy for appropri...
Submission supporting the re-authorisation of the Solar Code
Consumer Action has supported the Clean Energy Council (CEC)’s application for re-authorisation of the Solar Retailer Code of Conduct (the Solar Code). Principally, we support the application to avoid...
Submission: Essential Service Commission’s Electricity Distribution Code review
Consumer Action has commented on the Essential Service Commission’s (ESC) Electricity Distribution Code review – customer service standards draft decision (Draft Decision). We generally support the pr...
Submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee’s Class Action Inquiry
Class actions provide Australians a valuable mechanism for accessing justice where systematic or repetitive conduct by the same party has caused similar harm to numerous individuals. Class actions als...
Comment to the Class Action Inquiry
Consumer Action has provided comment to the Parliamentary Joint Committee’s inquiry, Litigation funding and the regulation of the class action industry (Class Action Inquiry). Class actions p...
Submission: Maximum prices for embedded networks and other exempt sellers
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Essential Service Commission’s (ESC) Maximum prices for embedded networks and other exempt sellers Draft Decisio...
Submission to the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19
Our clients have been affected by the COVID-19 emergency, and the Australian Government’s response, in a number of ways. In many cases we have experienced a short-term decrease in demand on financi...
Submission: Bushfire Royal Commission and insurance affordability
Consumer Action’s submission to the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements covers the insurance and financial challenges faced by communities in the aftermath of the Black Summer...
Consumer group tells Bushfire Royal Commission that climate change is creating a perfect storm for insurance affordability
Consumer Action has warned that climate change is expected to make insurance unaffordable for many as extreme weather events hit Australia as part of its submission to the Bushfire Royal Commission re...
Joint Submission: Implementing the Royal Commission recommendations: Mortgage brokers and the best interests duty
A joint consumer submission from Consumer Credit Legal Service (WA), CHOICE,Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Counselling Australia and Financial Rights Legal Centre. It’s time to make mortgage...
Product design and distribution obligations –ASIC Consultation Paper 325
Consumer groups have commented on ASIC’s Consultation Paper 325 – Product design and distribution obligations. We strongly support the introduction of product design and distribution obligations (DDOs...
Assessing the energy retail market’s competitiveness and efficiency
Consumer Action has provided a submission to the Essential Services Commission’s (ESC) consultation "Assessing the competitiveness and efficiency of the Victorian energy retail market" The submissi...
Treasury consultation: Enhancements to Unfair Contract Term Protections
Consumer Action has provided a joint submission to Treasury's consultation on Enhancements to Unfair Contract Term (UCT) Protections. Nearly a decade of the current UCT legislative regime has not e...
Joint submission: Re: Financial Regulator Assessment Authority Bill 2020
This is a joint consumer submission from Financial Rights Legal Centre, CHOICE and the Consumer Action Law Centre to Treasury providing comment on the Financial Regulator Assessment Authority Bill 202...
Joint submission to the Treasury re: Duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation to an insurer
This is a joint consumer submission from the Financial Rights Legal Centre, Consumer Action Law Centre, CHOICE, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, Financial Counselling Australia, and the Consumer C...
Joint submission: Exposure draft – Deferred sales model for add-on insurance – FSRC Rec 4.3
This submission has been prepared by Consumer Action Law Centre with contributions and endorsement from Financial Rights Legal Centre, Financial Counselling Australia, CHOICE, Consumer Credit Law Cent...
Joint submission: Exposure draft – No hawking of financial products – FSRC Rec 3.4 and 4.1
This submission has been prepared by Consumer Action Law Centre with contributions and endorsements from Financial Rights Legal Centre, CHOICE, Consumer Credit Legal Service (WA), and Financial Counse...