Submission - Consumer Action Law Centre

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...

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...

Comment on the ACCC’s authorisation of amendments to the 2019 Banking Code of Practice

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action), the Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financial Rights) and Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) have provided comment on the Australian Banking Association...

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...

Re-regulation of energy prices will see Victorians paying a fair price

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...

The banking and finance sector needs to play by the rules and put their customers first

In the wake of the widespread misconduct illustrated at the Banking Royal Commission, all players within the banking and finance sector need to play by the rules and put their customers first regardle...

Regulatory framework for new 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...

Enhanced regulatory framework would make industry codes enforceable if compliance required

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...

Energy pricing under the Victorian Default Officer must ensure fairness for consumers

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...

Clarification of consumer guarantees is essential, but making information accessible must be a focus

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’...

The justice system could better respond to the needs of people affected by misconduct in the finance sector

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...

Prohibition will strengthen the consumer law and allow regulators to deal with practices that cause consumer detriment

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...

Consumer issues must fall within mental health inquiry’s scope

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 households must have protected and simple access to a fair price for energy

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

‘Loyalty tax’ for insurance is fundamentally unfair

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

Appropriate responses to misconduct or consumer harm identified as part of ongoing electricity price monitoring

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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