When his electricity was disconnected in late 2014, Rod lived with his wife and four of his seven children in Melbourne’s north. The disconnection lasted four days. Rod says the automatic payments he’...
In this month's On The Wire we're calling for simple dispute resolution in the energy market... Dispute resolution must be consistent, regardless of where a consumer’s energy supply comes from, who it...
Lyn is 58 years old. She lives with her daughter in Melbourne’s north, and they have experienced several energy disconnections. Lyn is a survivor of domestic violence, and her financial problems stem...
We are undertaking an exciting project with the aim to bring up to date current consumer sector knowledge of unconventional home sales arrangements known as “Rent to Buy” or “vendor terms” for sellers...
Payday lending reforms from 2013 have failed vulnerable Australians according to Consumer Action Law Centre, as they take Cash Converters to court on behalf of a disability support pensioner over a ca...
Sarah is a writer in her forties. She lives by herself in an inner Melbourne apartment, which she rents privately. With a tertiary degree and regular work, Sarah had always been able to manage her fin...
There are easy options for seeking a refund or compensation from a credit repair company. Many Victorians have experienced problems with credit repair companies. If you are one of these people, and yo...
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Social Security Legislation Amendment (Debit Card Trial) Bill 2015. Read our full submission here [PDF]....
Katherine Temple - Senior Policy Officer in response to 'Vocational education, the biggest get-rich quick scheme in Australia' (The Age, 17/09/2015) We are shocked and dismayed by the story in The Ag...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Northern Australia Insurance Premiums Taskforce Interim Report. Read the full submission here [PDF]...
The poorest and most vulnerable Australians are paying grossly inflated prices for household goods via “rent-to-buy” or “consumer lease” deals, as shown by a new report from the Australian Securities...
Leading consumer groups are calling for the Australian Parliament to support moves by the Senate to protect the integrity of Centrelink’s budgeting tool for essentials, Centrepay, by excluding rent-to...
Emira lives in public housing in regional Victoria with her young son, Jack. At 27, she has faced significant challenges in her life: she left a violent family home at 14, and has since found herself...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the AEMC's consultation paper on Multiple Tradition Relationships (MTR) in the National Electricity Mark...
Read, watch and listen to media featuring Consumer Action from September 2015. Mental glitch that's making us spend https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=http://www.news.com.au/financ...
Julie is 48 years old and lives alone in a public housing unit. In the past Julie has struggled with alcohol addiction, and has recently escaped a violent partner. She suffers from post-traumatic stre...
Quotes attributable to Janine Rayner, Senior Policy Officer - Consumer Action Law Centre in response to Victorian Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio's announcement "Making Energy Bills Fairer For Familie...
Karen is a single mother of four children living in public housing. Her gas and electricity were disconnected for about a week in October 2014. At that time Karen was a victim of domestic violence. He...
Victoria’s energy market is failing our most vulnerable people, according to Consumer Action Law Centre. With the release of the Essential Services Commission’s Energy Hardship Inquiry Draft Report to...
Finance: Personal Debt https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=http://blogs.abc.net.au/victoria/2015/08/finance-personal-debt.html&ct=ga&cd=CAIyHTkyNDA4NmMwOGZiNTEzMDE6Y29tLmF1OmVuOk...
Complaints about power bills jump https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=http://www.northernstar.com.au/news/complaints-about-power-bills-jump/2692753/&ct=ga&cd=CAIyHTkyNDA4NmMwOGZ...
Are you unhappy with a used car warranty you bought? Read the following to complain and ask for a refund. Step one: Download our template letter here (Microsoft Word document) It will be useful to h...
What to do next... See what they say If you are unhappy with the warranty provider's response or if the warranty provider does not respond within 45 days, lodge a complaint. Just because they sa...
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the Review of Governance Arrangements for Australian Energy Markets Draft Paper (the Draft Paper). Download t...
Victorians have shared their stories of energy disconnection as part of research by RMIT for Consumer Action Law Centre’s ‘Heat or Eat’ report released today. The report details six unique stories...
Do you have a problem with a private college or education provider? Below explains who to go to depending on your circumstances. The role of regulators If you have a complaint about a Registered Tra...
Housing for the Aged Action Group's (HAAG) submission to the Residential Tenancies Act Review dated 17 August 2015 identified a number of key areas of concern for older residents living in Independent...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action), Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financial Rights) and Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) welcome the opportunity to comment on the proposed changes...
Today, ALP Senator Doug Cameron will be leading debate on a Bill to exclude consumer lease products from Centrelink's welfare budgeting tool Centrepay. What are 'consumer leases'? A consumer le...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) and Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) welcome the opportunity to provide input to the Essential Services Commission (ESC) and the Department...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action), Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financial Rights) and Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) welcome the opportunity to make a submission in response to...
Bought a second hand car? There’s a good chance you’ve been offered an extended warranty. A Consumer Action investigation has found that warranty providers can avoid paying many if not most claims pur...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) and the Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financial Rights) welcome the opportunity to provide a submission to the inquiry into credit card interest rates...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on consultation questions on the future directions outlined in the VET Funding Review Issues Paper. Download our f...
Payday lending and rent-to-buy products are often a source of financial distress and hardship according to Consumer Action Law Centre. The centre welcomes the Federal Government's announcement that it...
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) is pleased to provide further input into the Australian Energy Regulator's (AER) Amendments to the AER Retail Pricing Information Guidelines V4.0, specific...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action), Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG), Residents of Retirement Villages Victoria (RRVV) and Council on the Ageing Victoria (COTA Vic) welcome the o...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the consultation paper for the Residential Tenancies Act Review (the Review). Download our full submission here...
Where the poorest pay the most - our session at #ALPConf2015 Fringe #auspol — Consumer Action (@consumer_action) July 26, 2015 Today, at an ALP National Conference fringe event, Consumer Actio...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to provide a supplementary submission on the operation, regulation and funding of private vocational education and training (V...
Predatory businesses that build their fortune by relying on unfair tactics are far too common in Australia. While most businesses play by the rules, there are still many businesses that take advantage...
Consumer Action has joined with the Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre and the Victorian Council of Social Service to provide a submission to the Melbourne Water Price Review. Water is a basic essenti...
Consumer Action has welcomed moves from AGL to provide an automatic discount for concession card holders. From the Herald Sun: "Claire Maries, senior energy policy officer for the Consumer Action L...
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on Chapter 2 of the OAIC’s Guide to privacy regulatory action exposure draft. The Financial Rights Legal Centre and Consumer Action Law Centre will address thr...
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Australian Payments Council (APC) consultation paper on the Australian Payments Plan. Read the submission i...
New vocational education & training guidelines will protect students enrolled in courses involving VET FEE-HELP student loans. From 1 January 2016, students will benefit from new protections safeg...
Energy companies regularly offer discounts to Australians, but these “discounts” often hide the true costs faced by customers. According to the Australian Market Energy Commission’s latest Retail Comp...
The Victorian Government’s decision to establish a new body with the power to resolve vocational education disputes is a win for students, according to the Consumer Action Law Centre. The dispute r...
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xClwSkgvBxI] Consumer advocates back expanded powers for ASIC to probe banks https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=http://www.theage.c...