News - Consumer Action Law Centre

Fair justice for Victorians going to VCAT a step closer

The Victorian and Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) should be easier and fairer for Victorians following the announcement of new funding and changes to modernise the tribunal. “Victoria is a...

Submission: ASIC Financial Services Panel

The Consumer Action Law Centre is pleased to provide a submission in response to Consultation Paper 281 regarding the proposal to establish a Financial Services Panel (the Panel). Given the apparent...

AEMC review of regulatory arrangements for embedded networks

SACOSS and the signatories consider that the existing framework has provided a high degree of flexibility and competition in products and services for embedded networks which has led to some valuable...

Submission: Estate agents and conveyancers options for reform

Consumer Action Law Centre welcomes the opportunity to provide comment on the Consumer Property Law Review’s Options Paper on estate agents and conveyancers. Read the full submission here [PDF]....

Submission: Emergency Services Levy Insurance Monitor public inquiry into prohibited conduct in the insurance industry

We were asked to provide feedback on questions 4, 5, 7 and 11 in the ESLIM’s Public Inquiry Issues Paper. We have also responded to question 9 on competition drivers, and briefly commented on our insu...

Protected: The Do Not Knock movement grows

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Budget 2017: Increased financial penalties for breach of the Australian Consumer Law

As part of the budget, the Federal Government has proposed increasing penalties for breach of the Australian Consumer Law. “Increasing maximum penalties will help to ensure that fines for breaking...

Budget 2017: New bank levy shouldn’t be passed on to consumers

The Federal Budget proposes to raise $6.2m over four years through a new levy on banks. “This new levy should not be pushed onto bank customers,” said Gerard Brody, CEO of Consumer Action Law Centr...

Budget 2017: New Australian Financial Complaints Authority

The new 'one-stop shop' financial complaints authority announced in the Federal Budget will help Australians get free, fair and fast dispute resolution against financial institutions. "Australians...

Consumer Action Budget Responses 2017

Tweets about #Budget2017 from:consumer_action OR from:gerardbrody...

Big Brother Welfare Threat to 2.3m Australians in Budget

The Federal government appears likely to extend an income support model known as the Cashless Debit Card to new areas and new recipients despite very high administrative costs, and little valid eviden...

Submission: General Insurance Code of Practice 2017 Review

The Code is an important piece of self-regulation, setting out the best practice expected of the industry. Recent inquiries and reviews have ventilated a number of persistent, systemic problems for ge...

Response to the Victorian Budget 2017

Regarding family violence measures in the Victorian Budget Attributable to Jillian Williams, Co-Director of Legal Practice: The financial impact of family violence is profound and often hidden. Th...

Retirement Villages (Contractual Arrangements) Regulations 2017 – Regulatory Impact Statement submission

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action), Council on the Ageing Victoria (COTA), Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG), and Residents of Retirement Villages Victoria (RRVV) write in relatio...

Submission to the inquiry into modernising Australia’s electricity grid

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy’s inquiry into modernising Australia’s electricity grid. A...

Inquiry into consumer protection in the banking, insurance and financial sector

Hearing, 26 April 2017, Sydney Opening statement Susan Quinn, Senior Policy Office, Consumer Action Law Centre With Katherine Temple, Senior Policy Officer, Consumer Action Law Centre Good after...

Submission: Consumer Property Law Review—Sale of land and business: options for reform

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) is pleased to make this submission in response to Consumer Affairs Victoria's Sale of land and business: options for reform (Options Paper), as part of the...

Gerard Brody responds to the Sedgwick Review

In response to the release of the Australian Bankers’ Association Retail Banking Remuneration Review (the Sedgwick Review), Gerard Brody, CEO of Consumer Action Law Centre said: “This report represen...

Response: Australian Consumer Law Review Final Response

Today the Australian Consumer Law Review Final Report was released, and consumer advocates say there are some great wins for Australians. Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Gerard Brody said that some im...

“They don’t take no for an answer” – Davinia’s story with “rent-to-buy”

You can stop other families being ripped off. The Government has committed to stopping rent-to-buy and consumer lease rip offs. They need to hear your voice - let them know they’re doing the right th...

Design, scope, cost-benefit analysis, contracts awarded and implementation associated with the Better Management of the Social Welfare System initiative

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) is pleased to provide a submission to the Inquiry on the Design, scope, cost-benefit analysis, contracts awarded and implementation associated with the...

We need a ban on energy bill fines that really works: Gerard Brody

UNDERSTANDING how power prices work isn’t an easy task. The Prime Minister recently tasked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to look into power prices, but there’s one problem for Vic...

Rural and Regional Outreach Project – Evaluation Report

Consumer Action has an ongoing commitment to strategic outreach focusing on capacity building for community workers, who play a vital role in connecting vulnerable clients with legal assistance. Throu...

Comment on ASIC CP 279: Flex commission arrangements in the car finance industry

Consumer Action supports ASIC’s proposal to prohibit flex-commissions in the sale of car loans through a legislative instrument. There are clearly significant variations in the interest rates charged...

Community Legal Centres face funding cut from July 1

UPDATE: The Federal Government has announced a reversal of the planned cuts. However, Community Legal Centres are still facing a surge in community need that the Productivity Commission estimates requ...

Progress on banking code, but missed opportunities too: consumer advocates

The Australian Banker's Association (ABA) response to the Independent Review of the Code of Banking Practice (Khoury Review) is a positive start, but consumer advocates say there are some missed oppor...

Supplementary submission: Design & Distribution Obligations and Product Intervention Power – Proposals Paper

The undersigned provided a comprehensive submission to the Design and Distribution Obligations and Product Intervention Power – Proposals Paper (the Proposals Paper) on 15 March 2017. We make this sup...

120 day delay inflicting greater payday pain

Consumer groups call for the Federal Government to take immediate action to protect payday loan and lease borrowers. The Consumers Federation of Australia, CHOICE, Consumer Action Law Centre, Financi...

Consumer Action calls for Fair Finance – Reform of payday loans and rent-to-buy

Consumer Action Law Centre has hit Federal Parliament to speak with Senators and MPs about making finance fair by reforming payday loans and rent-to-buy products. Read more about the day: Tweets about...

Radio Rentals sued over irresponsible ‘Rent Try Buy’ contracts

A Victorian single mother of four children has sued Radio Rentals in the Federal Circuit Court alleging that six 'Rent Try Buy' contracts were irresponsible and unjust. The woman, a victim of famil...

Review of the Warehousemen’s Liens Act 1958 – Position Paper

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Storage Industry Position Paper. In our view, the proposed changes to the Warehousemen’s Liens Act 1958 (...

Independent Review into the Future Security of the National Electricity Market (Finkel review)

A reliable, secure and affordable energy supply is essential to health, wellbeing, economic participation and social inclusion, so there is a high risk to consumers when things go wrong and supply of...

Design and Distribution Obligations and Product Intervention Power – Proposals Paper

Nine consumer advocacy organisations have made a joint submission on the Design and Distribution Obligations and Product Intervention Power. This joint submission was coordinated by Consumer Action La...

Retirement villages in Australia – Life Matters

When people get older and start thinking about downsizing, retirement villages are an option many consider. However, it may be worth doing some research and assessing all of the associated costs befor...

Mortgage broker mayhem

CHOICE and the Consumer Action and Financial Rights Legal Centre are calling on the federal government to act on conflicted remuneration in the mortgage market following an ASIC report that found wide...

How to avoid a credit card debt disaster

Did you know that Australians owe over $50 billion (and rising) on their credit cards? Here are some tips from Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Gerard Brody on how we can stop Australians’ love of credi...

Consumer protection in the banking, insurance and financial sector

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) is pleased to provide a submission to the Senate Inquiry into consumer protection in the banking, insurance and financial sector. Read the full subm...

Submission to the review of electricity and gas retail markets in Victoria

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the review of electricity and gas retail markets in Victoria discussion paper following the consultation forum t...

Residents respond – Retirement Living Inquiry

Victorian retirees have responded to a Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry report....

$250K: the shocking cost of retirement housing disputes

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Victorian mum sues Cash Converters alleging unjust pawn agreements and payday loans

A Victorian mother of seven has taken Cash Converters to court alleging that 76 pawn agreements and 23 payday loans were unjust and unconscionable. She alleges that repaying the payday loans and pa...

“Car yards should be ashamed”: tips on avoiding car yard shonks

Consumer Action Law Centre is warning Australians about the behaviour of car yard shonks following an ASIC action refunding $400,000 to a group of NSW car buyers who were forced to purchase warran...

Consumer groups urge banks to implement recommendations of banking code report

Consumer Groups today welcomed the release of the Independent Khoury Review of the Australian Banking Association’s Code of Banking Practice as an important step in the right direction of improving th...

ACCC rejects weak effort by insurers to fix junk insurance

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has today rejected a cynical move by the insurance industry to keep selling junk insurance products. The industry has placed blame on the size...

Senate Standing Committee on Economics inquiry into Australia’s general insurance industry

This submission examines home and car insurance from the consumer’s perspective. It focuses on transparency in Australia’s home and car insurance industries, the benefits of establishing an independen...

Electricity Network Transformation Roadmap: Key Concepts Report

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Electricity network transformation roadmap: key concepts report. We support the focus of the roadmap of incentiv...

Public statement – Veda and Consumer Action Law Centre

Veda and the Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) have agreed upon a conciliated resolution to the representative complaint lodged by Consumer Action with the Office of the Australian Informat...

Retail Remuneration Review – Issues Paper

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action), is pleased to provide a submission in response to the Retail Remuneration Review Issues Paper (Issues Paper). As stated in our joint response to th...

Competition is failing in energy retail and it’s hurting households: Gerard Brody

In his address to the National Press Club last week, prime minister Malcolm Turnbull called out that families across the nation need not just reliable but affordable power. For lower income earners wh...

EDR Review – Interim Report

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Review of the Financial System Dispute Resolution Framework – Interim Report (Interim Report). This joint submission was coordinated by Consumer Action...

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