Lemon-Aid
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...
Victorian water prices to remain steady
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...
Payment difficulty framework amendments to the Compliance and Performance Reporting Guideline draft decision
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...
Letter to the editor: Credit reporting not great for the public
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...
Energy Market Commission confirms the deregulated energy market has not delivered for Victorians
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...
Submission: Protecting Your Super package: Exposure Draft
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...
Submission: NSW Emergency Services Levy Insurance Monitor Standard Profile Quotations
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,...
Submission: Options for greater involvement by private sector life insurers in worker rehabilitation
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...
Submission: Implementation of prohibition on flex-commissions
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...
Draft AER Benefit Change Notice Guidelines – Submission
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...
Submission: 2018 Water Price Review standard draft decisions
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...
Data disaster – Commbank shows banks fail at the basics
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...
Submission to the Australian Consumer Law Review – Clarification, simplification and modernisation of the consumer guarantee framework
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...
“Credit repair” business ordered to pay $1.7 million
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...
Victorians need better access to quick, fair and free justice in 2018
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...
Relief for Victorians struggling to pay essential service bills
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...
NEM Data Strategy Consultation Paper
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...
Jail time for corporate crooks needed to clean up finance sector
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-...
AEMC National Energy Retail Amendment (Preventing discounts on inflated energy rates) Rule 2018 Consultation Paper
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...
Submission – Inquiry into Competition in the Australian Financial System Draft Report
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...
Oversight of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority: Update to ASIC Regulatory Guide 139
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 Submission: Developing a reference price methodology for Victoria’s energy market
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 groups call for tougher penalties, ban on broker commissions in submissions to Royal Commission
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...
Summary of Consumer Action submission to Royal Commission on consumer lending and reform recommendations
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...
Submission: DELWP Consultation Paper – Response to the Bipartisan Independent Review of the Electricity and Gas Retail Markets in Victoria
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...
Find yourself judging bank victims? That’s exactly what the banks want
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...
An agenda for ageing in Victoria
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...
Consumer Groups Strongly Disagree with OAIC Credit Reporting Guidance
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...
Water Price Review – Consumer Action recommends water bills be cut by over $700 million over five years
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...
Submission: Facilitating access to consumers’ energy data: Houston Kemp Draft Report
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)....
Royal Commission – Sales culture and short-term profit motivation is the problem
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...
Why don’t we read the fine print? Because banks know the pressure points to push
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...
Benefit Change Notice Guidelines Issues Paper
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...
Royal Commission – Billion dollar junk insurance rip-off must end now
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 defends 30-year loan to scam victim aged 71
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...
Robert Regan – Royal Commission Witness
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...
New report uncovers murky world of online marketing
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...
Robert Photos
Photos of Robert Regan available for publication. Credit: Consumer Action Law Centre...
Dirty Leads: consumer protection in online lead generation
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...
Consumer Action submission to Draft Retail Pricing Information Guidelines
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...
Submission: 2018 Water Price Review early draft decisions
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 responds: Interim response to the review into Victoria’s electricity and gas retail markets
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...
Submission: Debt Agreement Reform
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...
Commbank dumps junk – Consumer Credit Insurance (CCI) scandal must end now: Consumer groups
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...
Twelve months on, and still no Ombudsman for older Victorians
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 – Gerard Brody opening statement
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...
Victorian State Budget Submission 2018-19
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 and the Royal Commission
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...