August 2012
Push for ban on door-to-door sales Herald Sun, 28 August 2012, Karina Barrymore Door-to-door sales in hot water again as Fair Work Ombudsman accuses company of underpaying workers Smatrcompany.co...
Media release: Explore all your options before buying education software
The Consumer Action Law Centre regularly receives complaints about the in home sale of very expensive educational software and, sadly, many of these complaints come from families who have recently mig...
Consumer Affairs Victoria issues warning about maths tutoring software
Consumer Affairs Victoria says parents of school children should be wary about aggressive selling methods of maths tutorial software. Some of these programs cost nearly $8000 and are marketed by sale...
Media release: Do Not Knock campaign lodges 100 door-to-door selling complaints with ACCC
Over 100 complaints about door-to-door salespeople have now been lodged with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) since the national Do Not Knock campaign was launched in November...
Submission: Review of grocery unit pricing
Consumer Action believes unit pricing is, and will continue to be, an appropriate regulatory mechanism and appears to create a number of direct and indirect benefits to consumers and competition, at r...
Submission: Reforming Contract Law
This submission in response to the Commonwealth Government's discussion paper on the scope to reform Australian contract law. The submission: highlights the significance of consumer contracting (wh...
Policy report: The pursuit of the impossible, consumer experience with external collection of retail energy debts
A new report from the Consumer Action Law Centre gives an insight into the experiences of a number of Victorian energy consumers who had their energy debts passed onto external debt collectors. The pu...
July 2012
Home help has strings attached The Age, 25 July 2012, John Kavanagh Unpaid power bills going up The Age, 17 July 2012, Rachel Wells Avoid the stress zone on your home loan Sydney Morning Hera...
Media release: New report offers a snapshot of debt collection practices in the Victorian energy sector
A new report from the Consumer Action Law Centre gives an insight into the experiences of a number of Victorian energy consumers who had their energy debts passed onto external debt collectors. The pu...
Submission: Inquiry into the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Bill 2012
The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Bill 2012. Our submission concerns the changes relating to cre...
Media release: Time to build new consumer protections from the bottom up
In its response to a Victorian Government consultation paper, Consumer Action urged the Government to take decisive action, arguing small reforms around the edges would do little to help consumers see...
Submission: Submission to the Victorian Government’s consultation on the domestic building consumer protection framework
Broadly, this submission: argues that the nature of domestic building transactions mean that specialised and strengthened consumer protections are required; recommends that the entire consumer prot...
Media release: Credit Enhancements Bill a ‘win’ for payday lenders
Consumer advocates and financial counsellors have lamented the lost opportunity to effectively protect vulnerable Australians from exploitative payday and short term loans. While pleased that the Gov...
Media release: Credit limit regulations so soft they’re almost redundant
The Consumer Action Law Centre has lamented that federal regulations designed to limit the harm caused by unsolicited credit limit increase offers have been watered down to the point where they are al...
Media release: Australians fed up with door-to-door sales urged to sign new petition
The Consumer Action Law Centre, tired of hearing stories of salespeople taking advantage of the vulnerable Australians, has launched a petition calling on Australia’s energy retailers to voluntarily e...
Private Colleges
Common themes emerging in consumer complaints about some private colleges and training institutions has prompted the Consumer Action to publish a guide about common problems, how to avoid them and wh...
Timeshare schemes
Consumer Action’s legal advice line regularly hears from consumers who have signed up for timeshare schemes - schemes which allow points or credits to be redeemed for holiday accommodation. We’ve hea...
Motor Finance Wizard
Consumer Action campaigns against unfair practices by car traders. We've received numerous consumer complaints about the practices of Motor Finance Wizard, including: Sales targeting towards low-inc...
Media release: ‘Payment protection plan’ sold by The Cash Store offers borrower little protection
Consumer Action Law Centre and the Consumer Credit Legal Centre NSW have questioned whether it was appropriate for payday loan broker The Cash Store to sell a ‘payment protection plan’—a loan insuranc...
Submission: Barriers to effective climate change adaptation – the role of insurance
In this submission to the Productivity Commission's draft report on Barriers to Effective Climate Change Adaptation Consumer Action argues against the Commission's assessment that subsidising flood in...
June 2012
Thrifty moves for plastic users The Age, 27 June2012, Clancy Yeates Warning as banks try hard-sell approach to credit card customers Herald Sun, 19 June 2012, Karina Barrymore Millions of Aust...
Submission: Single pricing legislation – proposal to exempt restaurants and cafes
On 7 May 2012, the Hon. Michael O'Brien MP and the Hon. Anthony Roberts MP wrote to Consumer Action inviting it to comment on the proposal to exempt restaurants and cafes from national single pricing...
Submission: Response to Commonwealth Government discussion paper on reducing reliance on payday lending
This submission: Expresses significant concerns with the way the payday lending problem is framed in the discussion paper. In particular, we do not agree that high-cost short-term lending is a neces...
Working for a fairer energy market
Energy market reform Our work brings the consumer voice to the national energy market. Our advocacy draws on real consumer concerns —expressed through our casework services (legal and financial counse...
Advocating for vulnerable, low income debtors
Low-income debtors often get the worst deal when it comes to dealing with debt—inaccessible or weak hardship assistance, particularly for those in long-term hardship; misleading or severe debt collect...
What if I have been sued for a debt?
Key message Act quickly to get advice if you have been sued for a debt in the Magistrate’s Court of Victoria. The Magistrates Court Process If the amount owed is $100,000 or less, a creditor...
Media release: More door-to-door complaints sent to ACCC, but further protections needed
Another 26 complaints about door-to-door salespeople have been lodged with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) as part of the Consumer Action Law Centre’s Do Not Knock Campaign....
Submission: Review of the Limited Merits Review Consultation Paper Two
Consumer Action’s response to the Review of Limited Merits Review Regime's Consultation Paper 2, Additional Statement of Issues and Questions. To read our submission please click here: Submission to...
Submission: Inquiry into the post-GFC banking sector
This submission makes the following brief points: that the development of an independent measure of the cost of bank funding (including offshore wholesale funding, and deposits), regularly reported...
Submission: Inquiry into the post-GFC banking sector
Rather than responding to each point of the Committee's terms of reference, this submission makes the following brief points: that the development of an independent measure of the cost of bank fundi...
Credit limit offers in the spotlight
We've all seen letters or messages from banks trying to entice us to increase our credit card limits. They come in a range or forms from Congratulations, you’ve been pre-approved, to Increase your cre...
Media release: ATM Taskforce delivers for remote communities, but more needs to be done
The Federal Government’s ATM Taskforce has delivered a mixed bag for consumers in its reports on transparency and competition according to the Consumer Action Law Centre. The Centre lauded moves to ab...
Media release: Punk Jobs ordered to refund $1150 to unhappy job seeker
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) has ordered Punk Jobs to repay $1150 to a dissatisfied customer who alleged he was mislead and that Punk Jobs failed to deliver promised services...
Submission: Productivity Commission’s Regulatory Impact Assessment benchmarking study
This submission argues that the Regulatory Impact Assessment process could be improved if government agencies had more guidance on how to assess the benefits of regulation and the less tangible impact...
May 2012
VicRoads ordered to court in parking case ABC Online, 30 May 2012, Sarah Farnsworth Credit limit offers in the spotlight Briefed: The Law Blog, Herald Sun, 28 May 2012, Gerard Brody Short-chan...
Media release: Linked credit case could cast doubt on more NAB student loans
The Consumer Action Law Centre has lodged a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) against the National Australia Bank (NAB) and is seeking to have its client’s NAB student loan terminat...
Submission: Proposed amendments to the Consumer Credit and Corporations Legislation Amendment (Enhancements) Bill 2011
In brief, this submission recommends: With regards to hardship variations that Government consider providing detailed guidance to credit providers, perhaps through ASIC, to assist them to better a...
Joint submission: Consumer protections for users of payday loans
The following is a joint submission in response to Treasury's April 2012 discussion paper on proposed reforms to Small Amount Credit Contracts. This submission has been prepared by Consumer Action La...
Submission: Australian Energy Market Commission, Market Review, Power of Choice (Stage 3 DSP Review)
This review is about 'enabling consumers to make informed choices about the way they use electricity can help achieve efficient investment'. Consumer Action agrees that there are opportunities to impr...
April 2012
Banks target vulnerable customers The Sunday Age, 29 April 2012, Deborah Gough Anger over changes to payday loans Sydney Morning Herald, 25 April 2012, Ruth Williams Electricity consumers pay...
Policy report: Profiling for profit – a report on target marketing and profiling practices in the credit industry
The marketing of products and services to consumers who are likely to be interested in the offer, or to be profitable for the business, is not new. However, with the development of more sophisticated...
Media release: New consumer guide released – common problems in private colleges and training institutions
Common themes emerging in consumer complaints about some private colleges and training institutions has prompted the Consumer Action Law Centre to publish a guide about common problems, how to avoid t...
Media release: Revised payday lending Bill puts profits before people
The Consumer Action Law Centre has condemned the Federal Government’s proposed amendments to its Credit Enhancements Bill, calling them a cave in to industry lobbying and lamenting a lost opportunity...
Joint submission: Reforming flood insurance (Treasury)
Joint submission with Financial Counselling Australia, the Insurance Law Service and Footscray Community Legal Centre in response to the Commonwealth Government’s consultation paper Reforming Flood In...
Submission: Australian Energy Market Commission’s Economic Regulation of Energy Networks Rule Change, Directions Paper
This submission responds to the Directions Paper released by the Australian Energy Market Commission's on a National Energy and Gas Rule change proposal relating to the economic regulation of networks...
Media release: Consumer action calls on Energy Market Commission to ease energy bills by proceeding with rule-change
In a submission lodged today, the Consumer Action Law Centre called for the Australian Energy Market Commission to proceed with an energy rule change that would put downward pressure on household ener...
Submission: review of limited merits review consultation paper one
This submission responds to the Initial Discussion Paper of the Expert Panel reviewing the Limited Merits Review regime for energy regulatory decisions. Read our submission click: Initial submission...
Credit limit offers in the spotlight
We’ve all seen letters, emails or text message from banks trying to entice us to increase our credit limits. They come in a range or forms from Congratulations, you’ve been pre-approved, to Increase y...
Media release: Retirement village contracts confusing for consumers, says consumer group
The Consumer Action Law Centre says a case in which it is assisting an elderly retirement village resident with her dispute before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) demonstrates t...
Media release: Energy retailers urged to end to door-to-door sales
The Consumer Action Law Centre has challenged Australia's energy retailers to put an end to door-to-door energy sales. The Centre issued the challenge on the back of new research showing 77 percent of...