Senior Policy Officer About the role Consumer Action is one of Australia’s leading not-for-profit consumer advocacy organisations, that makes life easier for people experiencing vulnerab...
Engagement & Training Lead About the role Work for one of Australia’s leading not-for-profit consumer advocacy organisations, that makes life easier for people experiencing vulnerability and dis...
The vast majority of Telstra customers will pay $5 per month more on their internet bills following price increases announced this week. Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Stephanie Tonkin said a growi...
Consumer Action Law Centre strongly supports a yes vote in the coming October 14 referendum. In 2017 Consumer Action officially supported the Uluru Statement from the Heart for acknowledgement in t...
This is a joint submission made on behalf of Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Rights Legal Centre, Financial Counselling Australia, Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network, WEstjustice, The Salvat...
Consumer Action seeks to be a reflective, impact-driven organisation that can adjust and refine our services to meet legal need. We have done significant work to conduct evaluations of our existing se...
A new Report from the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), Navigating the storm: ASIC's review of home insurance claims (LINK) calls on Australia’s insurers to step up and improve r...
Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed news that corporate watchdog the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is taking legal action against Bakken Holdings Pty Ltd, also known as S...
The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) has revealed that consumers in dispute with financial firms lodged a record 96,987 complaints in the past 12 months, an unprecedented rise of 34 pe...
We strongly support the Minister’s intention to introduce a ban on telemarketing within the VEU program. We have long advocated for bans on telemarketing (as well as doorknocking) as inherently probl...
A new report has found that insurance companies are relying on maintenance or wear and tear exclusions to deny customers too many claims with almost half the decisions subsequently overturned on appea...
The success of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) in its Federal Court action against Cigno Pty Ltd (Cigno) and BHF Solutions Pty Ltd (BHF Solutions), is good news which we hop...
Tania Clarke, Acting CEO Consumer Action Law Centre Last year bank customers in the UK experienced a 17% drop in scam losses while in Australia, bank customers experienced a 62% increase. Between...
Understanding the experience of Victorians dealing with energy hardship Access to affordable, reliable energy is one of the key challenges facing governments, the energy sector, and consumers in 20...
A new report released today by Consumer Action Law Centre has found that while Victoria’s energy retailers continue to improve their support for people in financial hardship, many Victorians continue...
Consumer Action’s Acting CEO Tania Clarke has congratulated Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland for acting swiftly to address the growing list of concerns from consumer advocates and telco cu...
In a world first, the UK Parliament this week passed legislation that will protect banking customers from the losses they experience as a direct result of being tricked by scammers. British banks a...
Consumer Action Acting CEO Tania Clarke says Minister for Communication Michelle Rowland should act now to implement tough new laws to clean up the telco industry. Ms Clarke’s call for action comes...
Consumer Action Acting CEO Tania Clarke has welcomed the announcement today by National Australia Bank (NAB) updating its terms and conditions (T&Cs) that puts NAB customers, who use NAB accounts...
As part of Consumer Action’s NDIS project, we prioritise data collection and analysis for clients calling our advice lines with NDIS related matters. Concerningly, our casework reveals that NDIS parti...
This latest report by the Telecommunications Ombudsman (TIO) published today, Time for Change is shocking to read and makes it clear that industry self-regulation has failed on almost every level when...
Consumer groups and the financial counselling sector have welcomed the launch of a new customer code for the energy sector. The Knock to Stay Connected customer code requires network companies to visi...
The Essential Services Commission (ESC) has listened to consumer groups’ calls for a reduction of the proposed increase to the Victorian Default Offer (VDO) for energy in Victoria. However, today's an...
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the proposed amendments to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority’s (AFCA) complaint resolution scheme rules (Rules) and Operational Guidelines (Guid...
Consumer groups and financial counsellors have said that the Government’s plans for regulation of the buy now, pay later (BNPL) sector announced today will need to include strong requirements for len...
Consumer Action CEO Stephanie Tonkin has welcomed the extra funding announced in the Federal Budget for the Anti-Scam Centre, saying it’s a first step in the right direction, but deep concerns remain...
A new report from the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman has revealed that the telco industry is still not doing enough to help people suffering from financial hardship. Consumer Action's David...
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the standard draft decisions released by the Essential Services Commission (ESC) as part of the 2023 Water Price Rev...
Telco providers are far less likely than other essential services to provide hardship assistance to Australians when they find themselves in financial crisis and here’s the proof: last year 406,428 cu...
Consumer Action is responding to the proposed amendments to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority’s (AFCA) approach to non-financial loss claims (Amended Approach). We generally support the go...
Consumer Action Law Centre welcomes the announcement from Solar Victoria that all solar photo voltaic (PV) and battery retailers participating in their Solar Homes and Solar for Business programs will...
“Instead of offering fair and suitable hardship arrangements to support customers struggling to pay their bills, Telstra and other telco providers continue to breach their own industry rules by cuttin...
Australia’s four major banks are failing their customers by taking a ‘variable and…less mature’ approach to scams than expected, with ‘inconsistent and narrow approaches to determining liability’ as w...
Scammers are targeting Australians online with highly sophisticated scams, stealing $billions from ordinary families and businesses every year -and it’s getting worse! That’s the message from the Aust...
Consumer Action Law Centre and Financial Counselling Australia have welcomed the Government’s announcement today banning the use of external debt collectors for social welfare recipients by Centrelink...
Victoria's leading social, legal, financial and consumer rights' bodies have united to oppose a dramatic planned rise in power prices across Victoria. The state's independent energy regulator, the Es...
To date, we believe that the Victorian Default Offer (VDO) has been successful in achieving the policy objective of providing consumers unable or unwilling to engage in the market with a simple, trust...
Consumer advocates around Australia have welcomed moves by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus KC MP to reform bankruptcy laws. Last month, consumer advocates attended a Ministerial Roundtable on Perso...
By Stephanie Tonkin, CEO, Consumer Action Law Centre The big four banks are tipped to make record profits this financial year, with some analysts suggesting they will collectively rake in more th...
The crypto marketplace currently poses significant risk to consumers and there is a pressing need for adequate protections and safeguards. Consumer Action applauds the Government for its commitment...
Consumer Action, and the various organisations from the Stop the Debt Trap Alliance, routinely advise and assist people who have multiple payday loans and/or consumer leases that they took on due to t...
Telcos are not doing enough to provide access to adequate hardship measures for those doing it tough in what is now the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation, says David Hofierka, Senior Policy...
This is a joint submission made on behalf of: • Consumer Action Law Centre • Financial Rights Legal Centre • Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network • Financial Counselling Australia • WEstjusti...
Energy price hikes announced today of more than 30 per cent in the Victorian Default Offer (VDO) draft determination, are yet another blow to families during the worst cost of-living crisis in a gener...
Consumer Action CEO Stephanie Tonkin says Westpac’s announcement of a new verification system for payments and money transfer measures to new accounts are “…steps in the right direction to help stop t...
Effective enforcement action is a critical task of consumer protection regulators and essential to a well-functioning consumer market. In recent years, ASIC has completed a significant amount of meani...
An edited version of this opinion piece appeared in the Herald Sun 18 February, 2023 You’d be hard-pressed these days to find someone who hasn’t been the target of a scam. Whether it’s a fraudulent...
Australia’s banks should quickly introduce measures to stop scams, make their systems safer and reimburse victims or be made by Government to do so, says Consumer Action CEO Stephanie Tonkin. Ms Tonk...
PODCAST: In his last week as Consumer Action CEO, Gerard Brody sat down to reflect on some of his experiences at the centre. One of the most incredible aspects of Gerard's leadership is his calm and v...
As the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) Quarter Two Complaints Report reveals a noticeable increase in complaints about telecommunications companies,” Consumer Action is reiterating its cal...