News - Consumer Action Law Centre

Essential Services Commission Act Review

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) strongly supports the continuation of the Essential Services Commission’s (ESC) role as the independent regulator for Victoria’s energy, water and transpor...

Government needs to rein in poor insurance pricing practices

Consumers expect more from their insurers when it comes to pricing explanations. The Financial Rights Legal Centre, Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Counselling Australia and CHOICE support the A...

We’re HIRING: A Director of Legal Practice

Director of Legal Practice Lead Australia’s pre-eminent consumer law practice Drive strategic litigation that changes the marketplace Executive leadership role with national profile...

Bank fees: ACCC’s low or no-fee account ruling a boost for thousands of Aussies doing it tough

Consumer advocates say the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) landmark determination requiring banks to proactively move eligible customers into low or no-fee accounts unless they...

Consumer groups put forward 10-point plan to improve general insurance claims handling

A coalition of consumer organisations have issued an ultimatum for general insurers to implement a 10-point plan to address significant flaws in its redrafted General Insurance Code of Practice. Th...

ACCC releases blistering report on harms but falls short on banning ‘unsolicited selling’

Consumer Action Law Centre CEO, Stephanie Tonkin has welcomed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)’s report on its first designated complaint, that concludes changes to unsolicite...

Consultation on redrafted General Insurance Code of Practice

We are pleased to see the introduction of a number of important changes in the redrafted Code, including improved access to information, stronger cash settlement protections, automatic acceptance for...

Compensation Scheme of Last Resort and reform options to support ongoing sustainability

The CSLR plays a vital role in Australia’s financial services dispute resolution framework. A failure by a financial firm to pay compensation awarded to someone by the Australian Financial Complaints...

Embedded Networks Review

We welcome the opportunity to provide our submission to the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) in response to their Embedded Networks Review. Consumer Action Law...

We’re HIRING: An Assistant Director – Domestic Building Legal Service

The Opportunity Assistant Director - Domestic Building Legal Service Location: Melbourne CBD Job Type: Ongoing, Full-Time Salary: $130,358.40 - $135,809.79 Consumer Action Law Centre...

Courage, ambition and clarity are musts or new anti-scam laws will fail say consumer advocates

Consumer advocates are warning that the Government’s much lauded Scam Prevention Framework (SPF) will fail to protect Australians from scam crime unless the tough talk and promises deliver tangible in...

Joint Consumer Submission: Scam Prevention Framework codes and rules

This is a joint submission, co-drafted by Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action), CHOICE and the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), and made on behalf of: Organisation...

Manufactured Consent: New report shines spotlight on dodgy practice of lead generation

Consumer Action Law Centre has published a new report Manufactured Consent: stopping the harm from manipulative lead generation detailing the complicated practice and its devastating consumer harms....

REPORT Manufactured Consent: Stopping the harm from manipulative lead generation

Lead generation – the process of identifying people as potential sales targets and harvesting their contact details for future sales pitches – has become a significant source of consumer harm. Lead ge...

REPORT: ASIC spotlights how car loans cause deep consumer harms

Consumer advocates nationwide have welcomed the release of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) report ‘Lifting the bonnet: ASIC’s review of car loans’. ASIC’s Indigenous Outrea...

Changes to the insurance code of practice fall well short say consumer groups

The Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financial Rights), Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) and Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) have warned that government intervention may be needed if g...

Don’t miss out! Lodge your claim to AFCA asap if you were ripped off by Snaffle

In May, the Federal Court ordered a $33.5 million penalty against Snaffle, operated through Walker Stores, for inflating prices and overcharging customers on credit contracts. Many of the customers we...

Federal Court scathing on HSBC, bringing legal clarity: Australia’s banks MUST protect their customers from scams

Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Stephanie Tonkin says the $35 million penalty plus costs imposed on HSBC Bank in the Federal Court yesterday sends a clear and resounding signal to Australia’s banks: th...

Lemon car reforms welcomed: Vic Government takes first step but more needed to tackle faulty second-hand car sales

Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed proposed amendments to the Motor Car Traders Act 1986 introduced by the Victorian Government last week, but more is needed for purchasers of faulty second-hand...

Curbing lead generation activity

This is a joint submission from Consumer Action Law Centre, Super Consumers Australia, Financial Rights Legal Centre, Mob Strong Debt Help, Financial Counselling Australia, Consumer Credit Legal Servi...

‘Unacceptable Harms’: Scam laws delay will see Aussies robbed of billions

Consumer advocates have slammed the nine-month delay in the implementation of the Scam Prevention Framework (SPF), announced today by Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino, calling it a ‘betrayal’ of hund...

Submission: Unfair Trading Practices

This submission is being jointly made by the Consumer Policy Research Centre and the following organisations: Australian Communications Consumer Action Network CHOICE Consumer Action Law Centre...

Energy cost relief: Embedded networks reforms welcomed & raise the Utility Relief Grant Scheme to $4000

Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Stephanie Tonkin has welcomed the Victorian Government’s announcement of changes to the law to ensure that consumers in embedded networks will be able to access more aff...

Upcoming State Election will be won on cost-of-living and fairer essential services for all says Consumer Action 

 A strong plan built on fairness for Victorians to weather day-to-day cost-of-living pressures will decide the upcoming Victorian State Election, says Consumer Action Law Centre CEO, Stephanie Tonkin....

Image of wind turbines denoting a submission about energy

Strengthening Protections for Energy Consumers in Victoria

We welcome the opportunity to provide our submission with support from Westjustice and Mob Strong Debt Help, to the Essential Services Commission (ESC) in response to their consultation on Stage 2 of...

Rogue lender Cigno and Directors fined $7 million at Federal Court

Consumer advocates have welcomed the decision by the Federal Court to fine Cigno Australia and its director Mark Swanepoel, and BSF Solutions and its director Brenton Harrison a combined penalty of $7...

Improving life support processes: Draft determination

This is a joint submission with the Justice and Equity Centre (JEC), Combined Pensioners & Superannuants Association (CPSA), Council on the Ageing (COTA), Ethnic Communities Council NSW (ECC) and...

Independent Review of the Customer Owned Banking Association Code of Practice

This is a joint submission by CARE, CHOICE, Consumer Action Law Centre, Consumer Credit Legal Service Western Australia, Consumer Policy Research Centre, Each, Financial Counselling Australia, Financi...

Victorian Default Offer 2026-27 draft decision

The Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) leads this joint submission with Consumer Action Law Centre, community services sector organisations, and energy consumer advocates who welcome the draf...

Wrong direction: Australians robbed of $2.2 billion in 2025 by scam-crime

More than $10 billion has been stolen in scams from Australians since 2020 -a deeply troubling statistic as victims continue to carry 95% of the losses, and 30% or more of victims don’t report their l...

ACMA finally rejects self-regulatory telco Code, moves to direct regulation

The Fair Call Coalition has strongly welcomed the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA's) decision to reject the draft Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code. For too long,...

ACMA Compliance and Enforcement Priorities 2026–27

This submission provides Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) feedback to the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) consultation on its compliance and enforcement...

Energy price drop heralded by lower Victorian Default Offer is good news says Consumer Action

Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Stephanie Tonkin has welcomed the Essential Services Commission (ESC) announcement of a reduction in the Victorian Default Offer (VDO), the base energy price for eligibl...

Getting to Fair: Advancing Equity strategy consultation

Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to provide our submission to the Getting to Fair: Advancing Equity draft strategy consultation by the Essential Services Commission (ESC). We provide our su...

Unfair Trading Practices – Exposure Draft and Explanatory Memorandum

We are providing this supplementary submission to Treasury, to highlight the need to explicitly consider manipulative lead generation practices in the Exposure Draft legislation and Explanatory Memora...

Consumer Action welcomes ASIC review into ‘lead generators’ – a focus of our designated complaint

Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Stephanie Tonkin has warmly welcomed moves by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) to review and investigate financial advice licensees using lead...

Banking Code Compliance Committee priorities 2026-27

This submission is provided on behalf of Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Rights Legal Centre, Mob Strong Debt Help and Mortgage Stress Victoria. We strongly support the Banking Code Complian...

Insurance: Code Governance Committee Monitoring & Compliance Priorities 2026-27

This is a joint submission from the Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financial Rights), Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) and Financial Counsellors’ Association of Western Australia (FCAWA)....

Consumer groups call on Government to block scammers this Valentine’s Day

New protections needed to cover key businesses enabling romance scammers. A coalition of consumer advocacy groups, financial counselling organisations and community legal centres, including CHOICE,...

Consumer groups welcome consultation on reforms to stop unfair trading and strengthen consumer guarantees

Consumer groups have welcomed the release of Exposure Draft Legislation on Unfair Trading Practices, including two specific prohibitions targeting subscription traps and drip pricing. Consumer Acti...

Information Request: Deferred Sales Model Class Exemptions

The Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financial Rights) and Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) long held position has been that there should be few if any exemptions at all to the Deferred Sale...

‘Ongoing and significant harms’: New data shows millions still lost to scams in late 2025

Fresh data from Consumer Action Law Centre’s frontline services in the final quarter of 2025 confirms what Scamwatch reported throughout the year: Australians are still losing millions to scammers, wi...

Scam prevention laws must plug the gaps and guarantee fair compensation say consumer advocates

Joint submission warns current design leaves major scam channels uncovered, delays real protections, and will fail victims without a workable dispute resolution pathway Australia’s leading consumer...

Joint Consumer Submission – Scams Prevention Framework draft law package and position paper

This is a joint submission made on behalf of: • Consumer Action Law Centre • CHOICE • Financial Rights Legal Centre • Financial Counselling Australia • Westjustice • Consumer Credit Legal Servic...

People are losing their homes over a $10,000 debt: this must stop

This opinion piece by Claude Von Arx, Senior Financial Counsellor, Consumer Action Law Centre, and Chair, Financial Counselling Victoria was first published in The Age on 19 December 2025. Imagine...

At Christmas, no one should have to pawn their life away

An edited version of this opinion piece appeared in the Herald Sun today. By Stephanie Tonkin Christmas is meant to be a time of generosity and hope. Yet for too many Australians, it’s a season...

Joint Consumer Submission to the Life Code Independent Review

Consumer Action is a signatory to the Joint Consumer Submission to the Life Code Independent Review. This submission builds a case that the current Life Code – and the ‘promises’ life insurers make...

Consumer Action wins landmark Federal Court case against pawnbroker Taylors Business

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) has secured a comprehensive victory in the Federal Court of Australia against Taylors Business Pty Ltd (Taylors), in a judgment handed down yesterday that...

Joint Submission: Banking Code Compliance Committee – Basic Bank Accounts

This joint submission is provided on behalf of Consumer Action Law Centre, Mob Strong Debt Help, Financial Rights Legal Centre, ICAN, Mortgage Stress Victoria and Financial Counselling Australia. B...

Consumer advocates welcome report on the national scourge of lemon cars

Advocates across Australia are welcoming a new report today from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) which points a lens at one of the nation’s most pervasive and troubling consu...

1 2 3 … 38

SERVICES

ASSISTANCE FROM US

COURSES

RESOURCES

ENGAGE WITH US

SUPPORT IS HERE:

POLICY

CAMPAIGNS

CHANGE IS HERE:

ABOUT US

WORK WITH US

WHO WE HELP

WE ARE HERE: