It is not always easy for people to obtain a refund or replacement when they purchase a faulty ‘lemon’ product. The current Australian consumer guarantee regime is not well equipped to deal with the u...
The Essential Services Commission (ESC) has today made its final pricing determinations for the 2018 Water Price Review. The determinations specify the prices that water companies can charge as well a...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the payment difficulty framework amendments to the Compliance and Performance Reporting Guideline draft decision...
The fintech industry's claims that delays in putting more customer data into credit reports will entrench the big four's market dominance need scrutinising ('Labor credit report delay will entrench ba...
The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has admitted that competition among energy retailers is not delivering ‘expected benefits’ in its annual retail energy competition review. The Victor...
This submission focuses on insurance in superannuation and the interests of people who are on low incomes or have low superannuation balances. It supports the majority of CHOICE’s recommendations in i...
This joint submission from Financial Rights Legal Centre and Consumer Action Legal Centre responds to the NSW Emergency Services Levy Insurance Monitor’s 'Standard profile quotations Mid-term review,...
This joint submission of CHOICE, Financial Rights Legal Centre and Consumer Action Law Centre responds to the insurance industry proposal for greater involvement by life insurers in worker rehabilitat...
The Consumer Action Law Centre welcomes the opportunity to comment on the implementation of the prohibition on flex-commissions Consultation Paper (the Consultation Paper). We generally support the...
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to provide a brief submission in response to AER’s Draft Benefit Change Notice Guidelines (Draft Guidelines). This policy area is well trodden ground for Co...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Essential Service Commission’s (ESC) standard draft decisions in the 2018 Water Price Review for Barwon Wate...
A data disaster is coming according to consumer advocates, following revelations that 12 million customers’ personal financial histories were lost by the Commonwealth Bank. “A data disaster is comi...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action), WEstjustice, National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC) and Federation of Community Legal Centres (Victoria) Inc welcome the opportunity...
The Federal Court has found that credit repair business, Malouf Group Enterprises Pty Ltd (Malouf Group), and its director Jordan Francis Malouf breached the Australian Consumer Law by making false an...
Consumer Action has launched our latest election platform for this November's Victorian State Election which calls on our state politicians to make access to justice fairer and more affordable for all...
The Victorian Government has announced an increase to the Utility Relief Grant Scheme (URGS) with $21.7 million allocated in the upcoming budget. Victorians households are currently eligible to apply...
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to provide a brief submission in response to the Energy Security Board (ESB) Consultation Paper regarding the development of the NEM Data Strategy. Consumer...
Today the Federal Government announced that there will be tougher penalties for corporate misconduct, and stronger powers for the corporate regulator ASIC. The Federal Government has agreed or agreed-...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) National Energy Retail Amendment (Preventing discounts on inflate...
The Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Counselling Australia and the Financial Rights Legal Centre are pleased to provide a submission in response to the Inquiry into Competition in the Australian...
In Australia, everyone should be able to easily access a free, fair, fast and effective service to resolve complaints against financial firms. The establishment of the Australian Financial Complaints...
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to provide a brief submission in response to the Essential Services Commission (ESC) Consultation Paper regarding the development of a methodology to determine...
Consumer Action Law Centre, CHOICE and Legal Aid NSW today published submissions in response to the first round of hearings before the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation a...
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) has published its submission to the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Finance Sector in response to the consumer lending...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the government's Interim Response to the Independent Review of the Electricity and Gas Retail Markets...
Jonathan Brown, Communications Manager - Consumer Action Law Centre It’s not often that I find myself in tears at work, but last week as I heard the story of, and then met Robert Regan – the fi...
Currently, there is no plan for the increased longevity and diversity of Victoria’s population. The result is a fragmented approach to policy and programs relating to older people between the ages of...
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has today published Guidance on its website about how lenders should treat Repayment History Information (RHI) for customers that are exper...
An independent report commissioned by Consumer Action Law Centre has recommended the Victorian water regulator lower the rates for equity and debt costs for water authorities. This would have the effe...
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to provide a brief submission in response to the draft report prepared by Houston Kemp, Facilitating access to consumer electricity data (Houston Kemp Report)....
Yesterday, irresponsible car lending was the focus of the Banking Royal Commission, with Nalini Thiruvangadam taking the stand to share her experience of a car loan from Bank of Melbourne (part of the...
Paul Harrison, Deakin University and Chiara Piancatelli The Financial Services Royal Commission has exposed the pressure selling tactics used by the banks. They draw on simple psychological rul...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Australian Energy Regulator’s (AER) benefit change notice guidelines issues paper. As stated in previous sub...
Consumer Action Law Centre says it’s time for the banking and insurance industry to end the billion dollar junk insurance rip-off they’ve let fester for over a decade. The statement comes following...
ANZ Bank has defended giving a 30-year loan to a 71-year-old scam victim in testimony to the Banking Royal Commission. In response to Mr Robert Regan’s (Full witness statement now available at the...
Today the first bank customer witness took the stand at the Royal Commission. Robert Regan, a 72 year old widower from Victoria, took out a home loan with the ANZ through a broker in 2017 following th...
Online marketing, lead generation and cold-calling have been scrutinised in a new report from Consumer Action Law Centre. The report, entitled Dirty Leads: consumer protection in online lead gener...
Online marketing, lead generation and cold-calling have been scrutinised in a new report from Consumer Action Law Centre. The report, entitled Dirty Leads: consumer protection in online lead gener...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Draft AER Retail Pricing Information Guidelines (Draft Guidelines). Consumer Action has appreciated the oppo...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Essential Service Commission’s (ESC) early draft decisions in the 2018 Water Price Review for East Gippsland...
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) commends recent action by the Victorian Government as a significant step forward in making it easier and fairer for Victorians to get a better, more afford...
Consumer advocates welcome the reform of the debt agreement regime in the Bankruptcy Amendment (Debt Agreement Reform) Bill 2018. Comprehensive reform is needed to curb the rampant mis-se...
Junk insurance sold with credit cards and loans is on its deathbed according to consumer groups (Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Rights Legal Centre and Financial Counselling Australia). The com...
One year since the release of the Victorian Parliament’s Inquiry into the Retirement Housing Sector recommending the establishment of a Retirement Housing Ombudsman, we are still no closer to knowing...
Productivity Commission Competition in the Australian Financial System Opening Remarks from Consumer Action Law Centre – Public Hearings on Draft Report Thank you very much for having me...
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) has made a submission to Victoria's Department of Treasury and Finance during the 2018-19 Pre-Budget period. Consumer Action has focused this submission on...
Consumer Action has made two submissions to the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry. The experiences of the people we help through our advic...