Consumer Action, the Insurance Law Service and Legal Aid New South Wales are broadly very supportive of the Exposure Draft Insurance Contracts Amendment (Unfair Terms) Bill 2013. Unfair contract term...
Financial Counselling Australia, the Consumer Action Law Centre and the Consumer Credit Legal Centre have welcomed a new hardship package released by the Australian Bankers Association (ABA) today. T...
The third edition of Consumer InterAction for 2013 is now online. This edition includes information on: New Director of Policy & Campaigns announced; New tool to stop door knockers; Regulator...
Encouraging Good Practice in Measuring Effectiveness in the Legal Service Sector by Dr Liz Curran of ANU Legal Workshop (and commissioned by the Consumer Action Law Centre and the Footscray Community...
Consumer Action has provided a submission to the discussion paper, Banking Act exemptions and section 66 guidelines, published by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. The discussion paper p...
We welcome the Essential Services Commission’s overall approach articulated in their Draft Decision on the Water Price Review 2013. In summary, this submission states as follows: 1. We are pleased th...
The Consumer Action Law Centre, the organisation behind the successful Do Not Knock sticker and campaign, has welcomed a Federal Court decision that AGL Sales Pty Ltd and AGL South Australia Pty Ltd p...
There is a new weapon in the fight against pesky and persistent door-to-door energy salespeople. Australians can now visit www.donotknock.org.au, fill out a simple form, and have their ‘Do Not Knock’...
A debt agreement, regulated by the Bankruptcy Act, is an option available to a debtor as a way of dealing with unmanageable debt. Debt agreements typically involve a compromise with creditors on the t...
Energy: A Policy Trilemma A workshop towards creating an Affordable, Secure and Sustainable energy market 9 am – 4 pm Thursday 27th of June at Oaks on Market 60 Market Street Melbourne RSVP...
Consumer Action and the Consumer Credit Legal Centre welcomes Treasury's approach of basing revised disclosure on the findings made by the Uniquest report. Uniquest was commissioned by the Standing Co...
Earlier this year our former CEO, Catriona Lowe, appeared on ABC TV's The Checkout suggesting that consumers look for total replacement cover when shopping around for insurance. Since then we've had a...
Consumer Action has, in conjunction with five other consumer and privacy advocate organisations, made a submission to the review of the Credit Reporting Code of Conduct. An industry code should be se...
The National Warranty Company (NWC) sells warranty products to people buying new and used motor vehicles. But Consumer Action recently had concerns about a NWC 'Grand Warranty Plan' provided in 2012 a...
The power of flexibility Christine Long, 26 May 2013, The Age AGL launches ‘do not knock’ sticker campaign while fighting legal battle against stickers UmBRELLA, 23 May 2013, Nic Christensen A...
Improved access to water concessions and affordable payment plans will be paramount if the Essential Services Commission (ESC) proceeds with its draft decision to allow metropolitan water retailers to...
Draft ruling by utilities regulator could mean water retailers slug customers with 25pc rise Herald Sun, 23 April 2013, Karen Collier Push for air conditioners to be fitted with remote switches...
A Victorian Disability Support Pensioner has issued proceedings in the Magistrates' Court against two Cash Converters lenders.[1] Consumer Action's client alleges that over approximately a three year...
Consumer Action believes that a regulatory scheme with well-designed rules will be ineffective in addressing industry or market-wide problems if it can only be enforced by individual consumers taking...
A new Indigenous consumer education film is now available from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The film, ‘Six Simple Rules’, encourages Indigenous consumers to use their ref...
Car lease company, Green Light Auto Group Pty Limited which trades as Carboodle, has recently written to its customers about potentially misleading claims. In summary, Carboodle says that it promoted...
A recent report looking at use of short-term cash loans showed half of borrowers interviewed had taken out more than ten loans in the previous two years, and three quarters of this group had taken out...
Consumer Action has made a submission on Treasury's Discussion paper regarding the exemption of retailers from the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009. Briefly, this submission: supports o...
The second edition of Consumer InterAction for 2013 is now online. This edition includes information on: New Consumer Action CEO; Energy retailers end door-to-door sales; Review of Centrepay; Th...
Consumer Action has made a submission to the Commonwealth Treasury on regulation of consumer leases. The submission argues that the purpose of any reform of regulation of consumer leases should be to:...
This report is a joint project of the Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) and the Footscray Community Legal Centre (FCLC), who have asked Dr Liz Curran of the Australian National University t...
The Board of Consumer Action Law Centre is very pleased to announce that Gerard Brody has been appointed CEO, following a rigorous recruitment process. Gerard has been the Director Policy and Campaig...
The Consumer Action Law Centre welcomes the opportunity to comment on the draft National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment (Credit Reform Phase 2) Bill 2012. Briefly, this submission: strongly s...
The Consumer Action Law Centre welcomes the opportunity to comment on the independent review of the Centrepay system. Consumer Action believes that Centrepay can be a valuable financial management too...
Joint submission with Financial Counselling Australia and the Consumer Credit Legal Service (WA) to ASIC's Consultation Paper on an online database for small amount lenders. The Consumer Action Law Ce...
Householders should soon notice a meaningful decrease in visits from unwanted energy hawkers, with the announcement by a second major energy retailer, AGL, that it too will cease all door-to-door sell...
Consumer Action believes the Australian Communications and Media Authority's proposal of amending the numbering plan to make 1800 numbers free of charge and 13 and 1300 numbers (hereafter '13 numbers'...
EnergyAustralia’s announcement that it will end door-to-door marketing will be warmly welcomed by Australian households. Last year the Consumer Action Law Centre surveyed consumers regarding their vie...
The signatories to this submission represent the interests of the majority of Victorian residential and small business energy consumers – being particularly cognizant of the special needs of low incom...
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Department of Justice’s Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) for the proposed Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Fees Regulations. In...
Mr Rental Australia Pty Ltd, a household goods rental business, has entered into an enforceable undertaking with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) under which it will provide...
Consumer Action is pleased to see ASIC take strong action against credit licence holder Zaam Rentals – the cancellation of Zaam Rentals’ credit licence should act as a warning to other credit provider...
Consumer Action welcomes the Fair Work Ombudsman’s new report into unpaid work experience and internships. Experience or Exploitation? The nature, prevalence and regulation of unpaid work experience,...
Consumer Action's submission to the Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement on the framework for limited merits review of decision-making in electricity and gas regulation argues that Option 3, Amend...
Today marks the beginning of the revised Banking Code of Practice. The Code specifies how banks should treat their customers and represents a contract between the two parties, giving banking customers...
Consumer Action and the Consumer Utility Advocacy Centre Ltd have made a joint submission to the Metropolitan and Regional Businesses Water Plans for 2013-2018. Our comments in this submission apply...
Consumer Action has made a submission on the Taxi Industry Inquiry’s Final Report, Customers First—Service, Safety, Choice. This report is an important one. The taxi industry is one where consumers...
Victoria’s specialist independent consumer law and advocacy centre believes the recommendations of Professor Allan Fels' Taxi Industry Inquiry will significantly improve the industry if implemented co...
The first edition of Consumer InterAction for 2013 is now online. This edition features articles on: Proposed VCAT fees increases; Unfair contract terms extended to insurance industry; R...
The Consumer Action Law Centre is urging consumers who took out loans with the National Australia Bank to pay for course fees with the College of Creative Arts and Technology, and who did not get to...
Internship company Borch Leeman has agreed to pay $2,500 to a disgruntled customer who claimed it had, amongst other things, imposed unfair contract terms and breached consumer guarantees in contraven...
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to comment on the proposed amendments to the Australian Consumer Law in Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2012 (Cth). Precedent of exemptions wit...
Amendments to privacy legislation regulating credit reporting passed Federal Parliament late last year. While the reforms won't come into effect until March 2014, lenders can already begin collecting...
Consumer Action has received funding from the Legal Service Board to provide training and support to Victorian Community Legal Centres. The project aims to build the capacity of the Community Legal C...