News - Consumer Action Law Centre

The real stories of Victorians forced to choose to heat, or eat

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...

Who do I complain to about a private college or education provider?

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...

HAAG Submission – Residential Tenancies Act Review

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...

Revised Inspector-General Practice Guideline 1: Submission

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...

Don’t make the poor pay more: Consumer Action

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...

Modernising Victoria’s Energy Licence Framework and General Exemptions Order: Submission

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...

Australian Retail Credit Association Authorisation A91482 – draft determination – Submission

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...

“Almost completely worthless” – used car warranties catching out countless Australians

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...

Matters relating to credit card interest rates – Senate Standing Committees on Economics

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...

VET Funding Review – Issues Paper Submission

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...

Review is opportunity to improve protections for payday loan and rent-to-buy borrowers

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...

Submission on Amendments to the AER Retail Pricing Information Guidelines

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...

Housing Decisions of Older Australians

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...

Residential Tenancies Act Review – Consultation Paper

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...

ALP National Conference: Labor needs to take a stand on payday loans.

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...

Private VET providers: Supplementary submission

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...

Unfair Trading: Discussion paper

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...

Joint submission to Melbourne Water Price Review 2016: Submission

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...

Electricity bill relief for thousands of Victorian battlers: Herald Sun

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...

Privacy Regulatory Action Guides: Submission

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...

Australian Payments Plan Consultation: Submission

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 protections for VET students welcomed

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...

Fake discounts must end: Consumer Action

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...

Students will be better off with new VET complaints body

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...

June 2015

[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...

Life insurance overdue for change

Consumer Action Law Centre says that proposed changes from the life insurance industry (welcomed by Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg) to overhaul excessive commission structures and questionable ad...

Don’t make the poor pay more – time to end the free ride for rent to buy businesses: Consumer Groups

Consumer groups say draft legislation to ban rent-to-buy goods providers from Centrepay (Centrelink’s service that allows third parties to receive direct payment from welfare payments) is an essential...

Insurance companies: Prove your loyalty to us. Be upfront on price rises.

Australians want their insurance companies to be upfront with yearly price rises according to a survey commissioned by Consumer Action. If you own general insurance (for example, insurance for your...

Report: A quick fix? Credit repair in Australia Summary of findings

Consumer Action is pleased to be able to publish a summary of a Melbourne Law School report into credit repair, which involved a review of Consumer Action’s casework and interviews with Consumer Actio...

Dodgy car park operators will now have to clean up their act in a win for Victorians

Consumer Action Law Centre welcomes the Victorian Government’s move to stop disclosure of drivers’ personal details to private car park companies through the courts. Private car park companies have lo...

Stop builders turning dream homes into nightmares

Gerard Brody, CEO of Consumer Action says that building a home is turning into a nightmare for too many Victorians. "Building your own home is a dream for many Victorians, but too often it can turn i...

Junk Insurance and Rubbish Warranties: Help stop others going through the same.

Earlier this year we shared about the risks of junk insurance and rubbish warranties. Now we need your help. We would like to hear from you if you’ve recently been sold: a motor vehicle warran...

Submission: Sharing the future

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on Sharing the future: Getting the policy right in the Age of the App. We are generally supportive of new business...

Retirement villages

In our experience, Retirement Village contracts can be extremely complex and contract terms around fees and exit entitlements can lack transparency. Different types of retirement accommodation can als...

Competition Policy Review Final Report

Consumer Action has made a submission to the Federal Treasury’s consultation on the Competition Policy Review Final Report. In summary, the submission argues: • Competition policy should promote the...

Clean Energy Council application for revocation and substitution A91495 – A91496

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to provide you with comment on the Clean Energy Council's application of revocation and substitution of the voluntary PV Code of C...

AEMC Draft Determination on Expanding Competition in Metering and Related Services

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the AEMC's draft rule determination to expand competition in metering and related services. Read the fu...

Submission to the Notice of draft instrument: Amendments to the AER Retail Pricing Information Guidelines

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the Australian Energy Regulator's (AER) Notice of draft instrument: Amendments to the AER Retail Pricing Inf...

Consumer leases will continue to make the poor pay more: Consumer Groups

Consumer Action Law Centre and Financial Rights Legal Centre say changes to Centrepay (Centrelink’s service that allows third parties deduct from payments) announced today by the Federal Government ar...

Debt collection industry can still do more

Consumer Action Law Centre welcomes the release of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Debt Collection Industry Research Report released today, but says the industry can still do much...

Submission: AEMO’s Metering Data Provision Procedures

We welcome the opportunity to comment on AEMO’s Metering Data Provision Procedures (MDPP). Read the full joint submission with CUAC and the ATA here. [PDF]...

May 2015

Rogue energy door knocker tries to sign 12-year-old-girl to contract Herald Sun, May 1 2015 The creeping danger of Australian household's love affair with credit Sydney Morning Herald, May 2 2015...

Facebook makes it easier to buy and sell, but what are your rights?

You may have noticed this option pop up in your Facebook groups. It looks like Facebook is on a mission to make it easier to sell and buy items through their network, but what are your rights? I...

Submission to the draft ACDBA Code of Practice.

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the draft ACDBA Code of Practice (the Code). Read the submission in full here (PDF)....

Submission to Review of Governance Arrangements for Australian Energy Markets Issues Paper

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to provide input the Review of Governance Arrangements for Australian Energy Markets Issues Paper (the Issues Paper). Click her...

Submission to the Inquiry into the financial hardship arrangements of energy retailers

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the Essential Services Commission's (the Commission) Inquiry into the financial hardship arrangements of ene...

Australians should be compensated for poor financial advice: Consumer groups

Australia’s leading consumer groups have made a joint submission to the Senate Economics Committee’s Scrutiny of Financial Advice Inquiry calling for a last resort compensation scheme for consumers wi...

Submission to the Inquiry into the financial hardship arrangements of energy retailers

Energy consumers to get “even more information” under national rule change

Today marks the start of new national rules for energy retailers, which are intended to provide more clarity on fixed-term contracts, but instead, do little to protect Australians from unexpected pric...

Junk Insurance and Rubbish Warranties

You might have bought something useless and don’t even know it. If you’ve purchased a used car or taken out a credit card or loan, you may have paid for some junk insurance or a rubbish warranty that...

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