News - Consumer Action Law Centre

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...

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...

We’re HIRING! A Digital Legal Resources Lead

Digital Legal Resources Lead Job description 2 years maximum term Full time (part time considered) $113,414.76 - $118,428.33 (depending on skills and experience), plus 14% superannua...

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...

Consumer Action calls for strong -world beating- Scams Prevention Framework as draft codes land

Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the latest consultation on the Federal Government’s Scams Prevention Framework (SPF), announced Friday by Assistant Treasurer Dr Daniel Mulino MP, saying Austra...

Our impact in 2024-25: Fighting injustice and working for a fairer marketplace

We are delighted to present our Impact Report 2024-25 which highlights Consumer Action Law centre’s work over the past year working with consumers, community workers, national advocates and cross-sect...

OPINION: Meta gorges on scam victim profits

A version of this opinion piece appeared in the Sunday Herald Sun 23 November, 2025 I’ve talked a lot about banks’ central role in Australia’s scams crisis. However, the main beneficiaries of the e...

Image of Australia's Parliament House in Canberra

Landmark reforms to stop unfair trading and strengthen consumer guarantees

Consumer groups have welcomed the decision by Consumer Affairs Ministers to progress major reforms that will make unfair business practices illegal and introduce enforceable consumer guarantees, the m...

A surge in scams while our ‘world leading’ Scam Prevention Framework missing in action

New scam data released today from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) reveals that Australians lost nearly $260 million in scams in the first nine months of 2025, a 16% increase...

Consumer Action welcomes preliminary findings from ASIC’s review of motor car finance

Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s (ASIC) release today of initial findings from their review into motor vehicle financing, noting that the r...

“Disappointing”: Our response to ESC decision on Greater Western Water

Consumer Action Law Centre acknowledges the Essential Services Commission’s (ESC) decision today to accept an enforceable undertaking from Greater Western Water (GWW) and the significant $130 million...

OPINION: BAN crypto ATMs and end robbery in plain sight

Stephanie Tonkin, CEO Consumer Action Law Centre An edited version published in the Sunday Herald Sun 9 Nov 2025 You may have seen a crypto ATM sitting in your local post office, fuel station or...

Fair Call Coalition: ‘Deficient’ industry code must be replaced with proper protections

The members of the Fair Call Coalition, an alliance of 23 consumer organisations, is calling on the Minister for Communications, Anika Wells, to exercise her powers and direct the Australian Communica...

Consumer Action Law Centre –Our Friends of Treaty Pledge

Our pledge We, the Consumer Action Law Centre, are proud to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people, Traditional Owners of the lands where we do our work to make a just marketplace, empower consumers and m...

Proposed billing exception approval for Greater Western Water

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the Essential Services Commission’s (ESC) proposed billing exception for Greater Western Water (GWW). We...

Response to the ASIC’s Regulatory Simplification Paper REP 813

Consumer Action has welcomed the opportunity to take part in the Australian Securities and Investment Commission's (ASIC) simplification work via the Simplification Consultative Group. In that forum w...

Crypto ATMS are a clear vector for scams: Ban them now says Consumer Action

Crypto ATMs are a clear vector for scam activity focusing on older victims*, charging eye-boggling fees and causing massive harms – “the Albanese Government should do the right thing and ban them now”...

Energy Consumer Reforms ‘Transformational’ say Consumer Advocates

Major reforms in the consumer energy market announced today by the Essential Services Commission (ESC) will have a positive and transformational impact for thousands of Victorians say consumer advocat...

Better protections for life support customers in Victoria review

We welcome the opportunity to provide the Essential Services Commission (ESC) our submission in partnership with Westjustice. Life support customers are some of the most vulnerable people in Austra...

OPINION: The lessons of the Banking Royal Commission must not be forgotten

Published in the Herald Sun, 16 September, 2025. Opinion by Stephanie Tonkin, CEP Consumer Action Law Centre The Banking Royal Commission was a watershed moment for Australians. It shattered pub...

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