May 2014
Regulators overlooking the power of simplicity Australian Financial Review, 30 May 2014, Gerard Brody Consumers told to check tap-and-go transactions as deception cases increase The Age, 28 May 2...
Media release: Commission of Audit recommendation to cut funding for financial counselling fails struggling families
Thousands of Victorian working families, pensioners and those in financial hardship will be the biggest losers if the Federal Government adopts yesterday’s Commission of Audit recommendation to cut fu...
Think twice before using a credit repair company
Our legal and financial counselling services have heard from a number of Victorians concerned about the behaviour of several credit repair companies. These companies may claim to be able to improve yo...
Summary of Consumer Leases and Consumer Protection: Regulatory Arbitrage and Consumer Harm
Key points the regulatory distinction between 'consumer leases' and 'credit contracts' used in the National Credit Code is flawed and has created opportunities for regulatory arbitrage (defined b...
Media release: Dozo car sales ordered to pay $2,150 after breaching consumer guarantees
Dozo Car Sales has been ordered to pay $2,150 to a vulnerable consumer after it refused, within a reasonable time, to provide a refund on a defective car and, instead, bought it back at a reduced pric...
Media release: New fund to protect consumers from dodgy or fly by night builders
Victorians building or extending their homes can do so with greater confidence following the Victorian Government’s announcement of a Building Consumer Protection Fund to protect consumers from dodgy...
April 2014
Over the odds when power is bestowed on select few The Age, 12 April 2014, Brian Robins Energy Australia fined $1m in Federal Court over door-to-door sales practices ABC News, 9 April 2014, Amy Bainb...
Media release: Charging $120 to bankrupt? Sadly it’s no April fool’s joke
Charging struggling Australians a filing fee for bankruptcy is like trying to get blood from a stone. Consumer advocates and financial counselling agencies say the $120 fee, to be charged from 1 April...
Submission: Financial Systems Inquiry Terms of Reference
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Financial Systems Inquiry. The submission below responds to the Inquiry's terms of reference released on 20 December 2013. The submission...
Credit reporting late payment listing change to benefit consumers
Consumer Action welcomes the proposal to amend the new credit reporting laws so that the five day grace period for late payments recorded on a consumer’s credit report is extended to 14 days. Under...
Lawyer fined $25,000 and ordered to pay $75,000 to Legal services Commissioner
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal has fined lawyer Victoria Nomikos of A’Beckett lawyers $25,000 and ordered her to pay $75,000 to the Legal Services Commissioner after the Commissioner...
Joint submission: DSDBI Consultation Paper – Reforms to Retail Regulation 2014 and Planned Outages
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Draft Consultation Paper – Reforms to Retail Regulation 2014 and Planned Outages. We strongly support the Minister’s proposal to increase th...
March 2014
Optus warned over $8.8 million billing error Sydney Morning Herald, 27 March 2014, Paddy Wood Consumer groups lobby politicians over proposed changes to Future of Financial Advice reforms ABC New...
Credit reporting – correcting mistakes
Key message You have a right to have inaccurate information on your credit report corrected free of charge Significant changes to the information that can be contained on your credit report oc...
Credit reporting – getting a free copy of your credit report
[box type="note" icon="none"] Key message You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report. [/box] Where is my credit report? Credit reports are created and held by private companies...
Media release: More than 1 in 2 consumers are throwing their mobile allowance in the trash
Three leading consumer organisations have joined forces, calling on Australians to stop throwing away their monthly mobile phone allowance and help drive greater competition from providers. New resea...
Media release: New laws give credit providers access to more of your information
Wednesday 12 March marks the introduction of a new credit reporting system which will collect far more information about Australians’ credit history. The extra information is supposed to help credit p...
Submission: Consumer Credit Regulations
Consumer Action and the Consumer Credit Legal Centre NSW have made a joint submission to Treasury on exposure draft consumer credit regulations affecting payday lenders. In summary, we are supportive...
Submission: Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria independent review issues paper
This submission is the result of a collaboration between the Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre, the Victorian Council of Social Services, Consumer Action Law Centre and the Financial and Consumer Rig...
Submission: AEMC’s 2014 Retail Competition Review
Consumer Action has provided comment on the Australian Energy Market Commission’s (the AEMC) 2014 Retail Competition Review Approach Paper. We welcome ongoing reviews of competition within retail mar...
Submission: Filing fees for debtors’ petitions, overseas travel requests and an increase to the realisations charge
A scan of Consumer Action's casework records (including both our legal advice and financial counselling services) reveals that we have on record at least 1900 calls from low income and vulnerable clie...
Submission: Final Report on the Review of Enforcement Regimes under the National Energy Laws
Consumer Action has made a submission to the Standing Council on Energy (SCER) on the Final Report: Review of the Enforcement Regimes under the National Energy Laws Consumer Action supports many of t...
Media release: Consumer advocate welcomes Government focus on lease providers
Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the Federal Government’s proposal to extend consumer protections to short term and indefinite leases, which aren’t covered by national credit laws. These leases...
Submission: ACCC consideration of AGL Energy’s proposed acquisition of Macquarie Generation
Consumer Action has made a submission to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in response to its Statement of Issues on AGL Energy Limited (AGL) proposed acquisition of the busine...
Submission: AEMC’s review of electricity customer switching options paper
Consumer Action supports the Commission undertaking this review and we agree that timely and accurate transfer processes can "support customer choice" and "confidence" in the competitive retail market...
Federal Court finds ANZ late fees were penalty charges
The Federal Court has ruled that ANZ’s credit card late fees were penalty charges rather than a cost recovery measure. This is significant because, while businesses can recover the costs of late paym...
Submission: Energy White Paper 2014
Consumer Action was pleased to have the opportunity to comment on the Energy White Paper 2014. Our submission is available here....
Media release: Australian households to get their say on rising energy bills
Australians are being asked their opinion on a proposal to stop energy retailers increasing prices mid contract. Consumer advocates have been frustrated that current market rules allow retailers to in...
Media release: Advocates object to new fee for entering bankruptcy
A coalition of consumer advocates and financial counselling agencies has expressed dismay at a plan to charge Australians filing for bankruptcy. The Australian Financial Security Authority (ASFA) has...
Media release: High cost of car cases in VCAT putting justice out of reach
A Victorian couple has successfully used the Australian Consumer Law to claim $17,495 from Melbourne Street Cars after it sold her a faulty 2003 Nissan X Trail. But while the victory in the Victorian...
February 2014
Spruikers exploit the vulnerable Lateline, 24 February 2014, Amy Bainbridge Consumer law lobby group says AGL bid to hike bills The Australian, 21 February 2014, Amanda Saunders News Corporation hop...
Submission: 2014-15 Federal Budget
Consumer Action welcomes the Government’s invitation to the Australian community to provide input to the 2014-15 Commonwealth Budget. We are mindful of the current economic conditions and their imp...
Help available for back to school costs
Consumer Action Law Centre’s financial counselling service MoneyHelp is preparing for calls from parents struggling to cope with back to schools costs. With many families still dealing with the financ...
Submission: Debt agreement administrators’ guidelines relating to advertising
Consumer Action's MoneyHelp financial counselling practice helps disadvantaged, low income Victorian consumers who are experiencing severe financial distress consumers Victorians, some of who have use...
Submission: Do Not Call Register – registration period
Consumer Action support removing the registration period for the Do Not Call Register so that registration is indefinite (Option Three in the Discussion Paper[i]). Customers actively opt out of unsol...
Media release: End energy retailers’ free ride
New proposal to fix energy prices for length of contract Energy retailers would be banned from increasing a customer’s tariff mid contract under a proposal to be considered by the Australian Energy M...
January 2014
Qantas and Virgin skirting the law with unsolicited card mailouts Sydney Morning Herald, 30 January 2014, Nathan Lynch Push to ban energy price increases during fixed-term contracts Herald Sun, 2...
Submission: Changes to Credit Ombudsman Scheme Rules
Consumer Action had provided comment on the Credit Ombudsman Service’s proposes changes to COSL Rules: 9th Edition. We commend the Credit Ombudsman Service on its drafting of the proposed changes, mo...
Submission: ACCC / ASIC Debt Collection Guideline
Consumer Action has provided comment on the review of the ACCC / ASIC Debt Collection Guideline for Collectors and Creditors. The revised draft Guideline is a significant improvement on the existing...
December 2013
Privacy concerns over new credit card reporting rules ABC Online, 26 December 2013, Alison Caldwell Planned financial advice changes 'a step backwards', say consumer groups The World Today, 20 Decemb...
Submission: Financial System Inquiry—Draft Terms of Reference
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to comment on the draft terms of reference for the Financial System Inquiry. In summary, we recommend that: the overall objective for the Inquiry could be e...
Media release: Consumer protections can drive economic growth and innovation in financial system
Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the Federal Government’s inquiry into Australia’s financial system. In its submission on the inquiry’s draft terms of reference, Consumer Action has suggested t...
Submission: Energy Assured Limited – Revocation and Substitution – A91390 & A91391
Consumer Action’s 2011 submissions to the Code authorisation process recommended the ACCC refuse to authorise the applications, on the grounds that the proposal did not actually improve existing consu...
Media release: The numbers show Consumer Credit Insurance is a poor deal for consumers
New figures from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority show Australians spent $330 million on Consumer Credit Insurance in the twelve months to June this year, yet only 23 cents in every doll...
Submission: Review of the regulation of owners’ corporation managers
Consumer Action has provided comment to the Review of the regulation of owners’ corporation managers Issues Paper. Our submission makes two primary recommendations: that the unfair contract term pr...
Submission: AER Alternative Energy Sellers – Issues Paper
Consumer Action supports the AER's approach in attempting to identify a suitable outcome for consumers in an evolving and increasingly complex energy market. We have provided some comments to encourag...
Joint submission: National Smart Meter Consumer Protection and Safety Review
A coalition of advocates has taken the opportunity to comment on SCER's National Smart Meter Consumer Protection and Safety Review Consultation Paper (Consultation Paper) and the National Energy Retai...
A cautionary tale about debt consolidation
Many people refinance or consolidate debts in an attempt to make their loan repayments more affordable in the short term. However, the overall cost of a new loan should be significantly lower than...
Submission: Regulatory Review of the Motor Car Traders Act (MTCA) 1986
Consumer Action has submitted comment on the Issue Paper for the regulatory review of the Motor Car Traders Act (MTCA) 1986. We generally do not agree that the regulatory burden on traders is exces...
Submission: Post Implementation Review of Ban on Mortgage Exit Fees
Consumer Action has contributed to the Post Implementation Review of the ban on mortgage exit fees. Briefly, this submission supports the existing ban on mortgage exit fees; argues that ava...