News - Consumer Action Law Centre

Media release: Government reforms offer a branch to consumers stuck in high cost short term lending quicksand

The Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the Federal Government’s proposed cap on the amounts lenders of high cost short term loans (often referred to as 'payday loans') can recover from consumers,...

Media release: Complex energy contracts are confusing consumers and stifling choice

Energy retail contracts have been put under the microscope in a report just released by the Consumer Action Law Centre. And while the report found that most contracts largely met their regulatory requ...

Media release: Jobseekers should know that unpaid work is unlawful

Two leading community legal centres have joined forces to warn jobseekers about the practices of some recruitment and job placement agencies that are directing clients into unpaid trial work, using th...

Policy report: Barriers to fair network prices

A new report released by the Consumer Action Law Centre and the Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre, shows electricity distribution companies are routinely challenging pricing determinations made by th...

Media release: ASIC grants licence to ‘misleading, deceptive and unconscionable’ trader

In a move that has disappointed the Consumer Action Law Centre, ASIC has granted a consumer credit licence to a company whose conduct has been found to be misleading, deceptive and unconscionable. Th...

Media release: New energy sales self-regulation scheme fundamentally flawed

Consumer Action Law Centre has today warned that a new self-regulatory approach for door-to-door sales of energy marketing is unlikely to reduce consumer detriment caused by widespread poor practices...

Submission: Taxi industry inquiry – complaints handling and dispute resolution

In this submission, Consumer Action responds to only one of the questions in the consultation paper - that is, ‘do the Victorian Taxi Directorate and taxi booking networks have adequate policies and p...

Media release: 400 per cent interest rates undermine ‘responsible lending laws’

Exorbitant effective interest rates on short term loans, upwards of 400 per cent, continue to put the pinch on vulnerable Australians despite the introduction of responsible lending laws in 2010. Mis...

Submission: Advanced metering infrastructure program – Issues paper for public consultation

Consumer Action welcomes the new Government's attempt to understand and address some of the underlying consumer concerns with the mandated rollout of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) or smart me...

Media release: Consumer groups urge cross benchers to support a ban on mortgage early exit fees

A coalition of consumer groups is urging Parliament’s cross-benchers to support the Government’s proposed ban on mortgage early exit fees, a ban which will improve competition amongst lenders and shin...

Joint submission: Reforming flood insurance – clearing the waters discussion paper

The following is a joint consumer submission in response to the Clearing the Waters discussion paper released by the Australian Government on 5 April 2011. The Brotherhood of St Laurence, Choice, Cons...

Joint submission: Reforming Flood Insurance – Clearing the Waters discussion paper

Consumer Action has contributed to a joint consumer submission in response to the Clearing the Waters discussion paper (the discussion paper) released by the Australian Government on 5 April 2011. The...

Media release: Legal tribunal finds Motor Finance Wizard’s practices ‘unfair’ and ‘seriously flawed

Motor car dealer and financier Motor Finance Wizard has been ordered to cancel a car lease contract with a vulnerable customer, refund her money and clear her credit report. The legal decision, made...

Policy report: A review of Victorian retail energy contract terms and conditions

Submission to Productivity Commission Inquiry on Network Regulation

Consumer Action welcomes the Productivity Commission’s investigation into benchmarking as a means of achieving more efficient delivery of network services and electricity infrastructure. Benchmarking...

Direct Debits

Consumer Action has an ongoing interest in the use of Direct Debits and their impact on consumers. We’d like to hear from you about your experiences using Direct Debits as a payment method. If you ha...

Submission: Reserve Bank of Australia – Treasury ATM Taskforce consultations

Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the RBA-Treasury ATM Taskforce's report on the March 2009 ATM reforms. The March 2009 reforms can be considered a broad success, both because...

Fair Fees Campaign

Since 2004 we have campaigned against unfair, excessive and unlawful penalty fees charged by Australian banks and other financial institutions. In recent years we have been very successful in getting...

Media release: Government’s insurance reforms challenge the insurance industry to step up

The Fair Go in Insurance coalition* welcomes the proposed insurance reform package put forward by the Federal Government today but warns that several reforms are not guaranteed and would be unlikely t...

Fair go in insurance

If anything positive can be drawn from the devastating natural disasters that hit many Australians in early 2011, it’s that the public and the government are starting to ask more questions about our i...

Media release: Dell backs down on contract terms that failed to compute

Consumer Action Law Centre has withdrawn proceedings against Dell Computer Pty Ltd in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal on behalf of its co- CEO, Carolyn Bond after the company amended i...

Policy report: A snapshot of consumer experiences of short-term loans post the national consumer credit reforms

Submission: National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment Regulations 2011 – exposure draft

Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to comment on the exposure draft of the National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment Regulations 2011, setting out the proposed amendment to ban exit fees on...

Submission: Exposure Draft – National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment Regulations 2011

Media release: Let’s call a flood a flood and give Australians fair go in insurance

A twelve point plan released today by the country’s leading insurance law experts for households and consumers clearly sets out the current problems with insurance and their solutions, and puts the pr...

Media release: Consumer group takes on distributors to keep energy prices down

Consumer advocates are preparing to fight Victoria’s billion-dollar electricity distribution businesses in the Federal Court in a last ditch bid to prevent consumers feeling the pain of unfair electri...

Media release: Consumers must be given a fighting chance against rising electricity and gas bills

Consumer Action Law Centre says it’s time for the Victorian Government and its energy industry watchdog, the Essential Services Commission, to take real action to help consumers switch and save on the...

Media release: Baillieu Government facing its first test on electricity bills after Victorian distributors appeal regulator’s decision to keep process low

Consumer Action Law Centre says Victorians urgently need their new Government to take up its legal right to defend the Australian Energy Regulator’s recent decision to keep electricity costs for Victo...

Media release: Regulator pulls the plug on energy fat cats – but appeal looms

Consumer Action Law Centre supports today’s announcement that Victorian households will be protected from the huge price increases the state’s electricity distributors were seeking to impose over the...

Media release: Computer says no – formal complaint to ACCC after Dell gets it wrong on consumer refund rights

Consumer Action Law Centre has made a formal complaint to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission after its own CEO was given the run-around by Dell Computer Pty Ltd on her right to a refun...

Media release: Westpac’s debt collection practices the latest under the spotlight

Consumer Action Law Centre has made a formal complaint to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission about Westpac’s debt collection procedures for customers in financial hardship, only a we...

Submission: “Reconnecting the Customer”- ACMA public inquiry consultation paper

Customer service is extremely poor in the Australian telecommunications industry, and has been for many years. Misleading advertising, unfair contract terms and deceptive sales practices are so common...

Media release: New research report shows exponential growth of 400% + pa. Interest rate loans in Australia

An explosive new research report released today by Consumer Action Law Centre reveals that the high cost short term lending industry in Australia – sometimes referred to as payday lending industry -...

Report: Payday Loans–Helping hand or quicksand?”

To read the report please click here Annexure A - Click here to receive Consumer Action Online Survey Results Annexure B - Draft Literature Review...

Policy report: An examination of high-cost short term lending in Australia, 2002-2010

Consumer Action Law Centre and senior policy officer Zac Gillam have reviewed the experience of payday loan borrowers by updating empirical research into the impact of high-cost short term lending in...

Presentation: Protecting Consumers of Legal Services (Conference of Regulatory Officers 2010)

A presentation by Carolyn Bond, Co-CEO of Consumer Action, to the 2010 (CORO) Conference of Regulatory Officers on 27 August 2010. To read the presentation, please click here....

Media release: Voters have a choice on consumer policies when they go to the polls

Large differences in the major parties’ responses to the Australian consumer groups’ Election Platform mean voters can consider their future needs as consumers before making their decision on Saturday...

Submission: Australian Energy Regulator’s Victorian Draft Distribution Determination 2011- 2015

Consumer Action strongly supports the Draft Decision and the level of scrutiny the AER has applied to the Distribution Network Service Providers' regulatory proposals. We continue to have some concern...

Joint submission: National Legal Profession Reform

This submission considers the proposed regulation from the viewpoint of individual, small business and community organisations as clients. This is a once in a generation opportunity for significant r...

Media release: Family pays $2,500 for holiday but owner refuses to let them stay

Consumer Action Law Centre has issued proceedings in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal on behalf of a client who alleges a holiday house owner wrongly kept her payment for her family hol...

Media release: Consumer groups say new tax to replace fire services levy is a bad idea

Consumer advocates are disappointed with the Bushfire Royal Commission’s recommendation to scrap the fire services levy in favour of a property based levy saying it will be bad for local councils and...

Media release: Global maths and English sued by disappointed parent

Consumer Action Law Centre has launched proceedings on behalf of a client in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal against Global Maths and English and their linked credit provider, Ardenna...

Media release: Cases multiply against maths software provider Edufin

Consumer Action Law Centre has issued five separate proceedings in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal against educational software provider Edufin, all of which deal with cases where pare...

Media release: Phone scammers use bank fees class action to rip off consumers

Consumer Action is urging consumers to watch out for scammers who are swindling hundreds of dollars from unwitting consumers with bogus claims of being able to recover thousands of dollars in overchar...

Presentation: National Credit Code

This document is a resource tool for community lawyers and financial counsellors. It contains helpful information on the operation of the new National Credit Code. To read the presentation, please cl...

Media release: Consumer groups say – don’t unplug Australians!

Consumer representatives from across the nation tell Energy Ministers to lift their game on the national energy consumer law or put more Australians at risk of being cut-off from electricity and gas....

Media release: New energy law penal ties fall woefully short on consumer protection

Consumer Action Law Centre says the new national energy consumer law proposed by the Federal and State Governments will make it more profitable for energy retailers to violate consumer rights than act...

Media release: Clive Peeters’ collapse not ‘so eeeasy’ for some unlucky customers

Consumer Action Law Centre is warning customers to be cautious about buying goods from failed white goods and electronics retailer Clive Peeters unless they take them away on the day, saying many cust...

Media release: Consumer groups fear City Water users will get the ‘South Gippsland treatment’ under unified water laws

Consumer groups are concerned that large water bill price rises for Melbournians will be combined with new unfair and punitive measures to pursue payment. Janine Rayner, Senior Policy Officer at the...

Media release: Business loopholes in new consumer lending laws could spell disaster for vulnerable borrowers

Consumer Action is warning consumers to avoid unregistered or unlicensed brokers and lenders now that new national consumer lending laws are coming into force. Consumer Action has started legal actio...

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