News - Consumer Action Law Centre

Media release: Customers to bear costs for energy retailers failure

Consumer Action Law Centre has labelled the decision by the Essential Services Commission (the ESC) to charge consumers should their retailer go bankrupt or leave the market as outrageous and unfair....

Submission: Discussion paper 72: review of Australian privacy law

Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to comment on the above Paper prepared by the Australian Law Reform Commission. Our submission focuses on some key credit reporting issues as well as some gene...

Submission: Abacus Draft Code of Practice

Consumer Action has made a submission in relation to the proposed Abacus Australian Mutuals Draft Code of Practice. As a general comment, we record our support for both the tenor and quality of the Dr...

Media release: Consumers challenge basis for rising energy prices

Victorian consumers will be hit by huge energy price increases from 1 January 2008 but without any public information about the basis for these price rises, said Consumer Action Law Centre today. Sta...

Policy report: Coercion and harassment at the door Consumer experiences with energy direct marketers

Since the introduction of full retail contestability in the Victorian energy market, Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) and the Financial & Consumer Rights Council (FCRC) have received n...

Submission: Victorian motor vehicle lemon laws

Consumer Action is pleased to have the opportunity to submit its views regarding the proposed introduction of motor vehicle lemon laws in Victoria. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank...

Media release: Don’t harass us at home, say consumers

Consumer Action Law Centre has today launched a campaign to assist consumers to avoid door-to-door marketers if they wish to do so. The campaign will distribute a ‘Do Not Knock’ sticker, which warns s...

Submission: Alternative dispute resolution – discussion paper

Consumer Action has made a submission on the Alternative Dispute Resolution Discussion Paper prepared by the Victorian Parliament Law Reform Committee. In particular, Consumer Action has a number of s...

Submission: Review of the effectiveness of competition in electricity and gas retail markets in Victoria – first draft report

Consumer Action has commented on the Australian Energy Market Commission’s Review of the Effectiveness of Competition in Electricity and Gas Retail Markets – First Draft Report which was released for...

Submission: Water Tariff Structures Review – Issues Paper

Consumer Action has commented on the Essential Services Commission’s Water Tariff Structures Review – Issues Paper released on 22 October 2007. To read our submission, click here: Water Tariff Stru...

Presentation: A consumer advocate’s view on effective internal dispute resolution (WA Energy Ombudsman/Economic Regulatory Authority Utility Dispute Resolution Forum)

To read our presentation, please click: A consumer advocate’s view on effective internal dispute resolution...

Presentation: Consumer Priorities (2007 Abacus Convention Regulatory Affairs Conference)

To read our presentation, please click: Consumer Priorities...

Submission: Civil Justice Reform

Consumer Action is pleased to have the opportunity to submit its views on the second exposure draft of Victorian Law Reform Commission’s review of the civil justice system in Victoria. To read our...

Media release: More penalty fees cut as campaign gains momentum

CHOICE and Consumer Action have welcomed NAB’s announcement today it will cut direct debit dishonour fees from $50 to $30 and will launch a new mainstream transaction account that allows consumers to...

Presentation: Unfair credit contracts – Advocating on behalf of consumers (2007 South Australian Financial Counsellors Association Conference)

To read our presentation, please click: Unfair credit contracts...

Presentation: Penalty fees and the Australian consumer (2007 Credit Conference)

To read our presentation, please click: Debt before dishonour...

Media release: Water businesses not talking to customers says consumer report

Consumer Action Law Centre has publicly released a report asserting that Victorian water businesses are not talking to their customers. The report, Water Reform in Victoria: Independent pricing regula...

Policy Report: Social and Environmental Considerations in Part VII of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth

Part VII of the Trade Practices Act 1974 acknowledges that there are circumstances in which anti-competitive conduct will be permissible - where the detriment caused by the conduct is outweighed by ot...

Keynote address: Formulating a New Approach to Privacy and Trust in the Information Age (Privacy Conference)

To read our presentation, please click: Privacy and Consumer Regulation...

A loan in lease clothing

This project, undertaken by the now disbanded Micah Law Centre, was initiated in response to an increasing number of consumers presenting to financial counselling services because of problems experien...

Presentation: Elements of Industry External Dispute Resolution schemes (Consumer External Dispute Resolution Forum)

To read our presentation, please click: Elements of EDR scheme...

Presentation: Updating Australia’s consumer protection framework (Consumer External Dispute Resolution Forum)

To read our presentation, please click: Updating Australia’s Consumer Policy Framework...

Submission: Victorian Retail Competition Review

Consumer Action is very appreciative of the Commission’s early and informal consultation undertaken in preparation for the review. The Commission’s willingness to consult directly with consumer repres...

Submission: Productivity Commission Inquiry into Australia’s Consumer Policy Framework

Consumer Action has made a submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Australia’s Consumer Policy Framework. To read our submission, click here: Productivity Commission Inquiry into Aus...

Media release: Nationwide campaign targets unfair bank penalty fees

Financial institutions are bracing themselves for a customer backlash against unfair penalty fees, after a nationwide campaign was launched today by CHOICE and Consumer Action Law Centre. Thousands...

Presentation: A consumer advocate’s views on Fringe Lending (2007 Min-it Software Microlenders Conference)

To read our presentation, please click: A consumer advocate’s views on Fringe Lending...

Media release: Time well overdue for banks to cut their excessive penalty fees

Consumer Action Law Centre has written to the Australian Bankers Association (ABA) and Abacus Australian Mutuals demanding that banks, credit unions and building societies put a stop to penalty fees t...

Presentation & Speech: Updating Australia’s Consumer Policy Framework (National Consumer Congress 2007)

To read our presentation, please click: Empowerment and protection- Updating Australia’s Consumer Policy Framework To read our speech, please click: Speech – updating Australia’s consumer policy fram...

Policy Report: Water reform in Victoria

This report examines Victoria’s first independent review of water prices, undertaken by the Essential Services Commission in 2004 and 2005. The report concludes that there was a lack of community cons...

Policy Report: Vendor Terms

Over recent years, vendor terms mortgages have emerged as a way of marketing overpriced homes to predominately low-income consumers. Such mortgages can be particularly harmful as they often involve po...

Policy Report: The need for comprehensive energy-specific consumer protections.

This paper provides an overview of current consumer protections applying to the provision of energy to small-end residential users and argues that continued energy-specific consumer protections are ne...

Report: Consumer protection in the National Energy Market

This is a comparison table of consumer protections available across the different National Energy Market jurisdictions....

Research Report: Implementation of residential hardship policies by Victorian water businesses.

A research report that examines the implementation of residential hardship policies by Victorian water businesses. To read the report, please click here....

Joint Research Report: Electricity reform in Victoria.

A joint research report with the Centre for the Study of Privatisation and Public Accountability at Monash University. To read the report, please click here ...

Report: Water (Access, Affordability and Sustainability)

This Issues Paper considers ways in which to protect consumers’ access to water as a human right, while at the same time ensuring water is returned to the environment. To read, please click here....

Policy Report: Debt Agreement-Remedy or Racket?

An examination of the commercialisation of the administration of debt agreements entered into under Part IX of the Bankruptcy Act 1966 (Cth). To read our report, please click here....

Research Report: Do the poor pay more?

The Report argues that poor consumers pay more for their banking, credit cards, telephone, internet, gas, electricity, water and other household goods and services. To read the report, please click h...

Report: Penalty charged by Australian banks

The Report reveals that Australian banks are charging consumers hundreds of millions of dollars in fees that could be unlawful. To read the report, please click here...

Report: Access to Energy and Water in Victoria – A research report

This Report examines the impact on Victorian households of disconnection or restriction from electricity, gas or water services. The Report comprises the findings of a project undertaken by CLCV an...

Report: Buying a car- pitfalls for consumers.

A case study report prepared by the CLCV for the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria. To read the report, please click here....

Report: Solicitors lending to consumers

Solicitor lending to consumers: a study of interest only loans and asset-based lending practices in Victoria To read the report, please click here....

Report: Mortgage reduction- misleading marketing?

A repot on industry practices and case studies in misleading marketing of mortgage reduction. To read our report, please click here....

Report: The Operation of the Uniform Consumer Credit Code

To read our report, please click here. To read the appendices, please click here and here....

Report: Finance and mortgage broker industry.

A Report to ASIC on the finance and mortgage broker industry, by the Consumer Credit Legal Centre (NSW) Inc. To read the report please click here....

Speech: How to succeed in business without really complying (Consumer Affairs Victoria Conference 2003)

Speech by Carolyn Bond to the Consumer Affairs Victoria 2003 Conference on Credit, Debt and the Consumer. To read the speech, please click here....

Report: Payday lending in Victoria

The report examines the national and international developments in payday lending and the scale, operation and regulation of the payday lending industry in Australia and, in particular, Victoria. To...

Report: Debt collection outsourcing in Australia.

Consumer problems with debt collection outsourcing in Australia. To read the report please click here....

Report: Unrepresented debtors in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court

An examination of the experience of unrepresented debtors in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court. The report found that many debtors are forced to ‘negotiate’ with debt collectors when appearing for a su...

Walton’s Survival Kit 1989

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Credit Licensing Hearing for HFC Financial Services Limited (Household Finance) in Victoria, Australia – 1988

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