Consumer advocates call for Parliament to vote against watered-down protections against predatory lenders

Consumer advocates have rejected the Federal Government’s proposed changes to laws governing high-cost payday loans and consumer leases, calling for Parliament to vote against the Bill in a submission...

February 3, 2021

Submission from the Stop the Debt Trap Alliance: National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment (Supporting Economic Recovery) Bill 2020

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February 3, 2021

Up to 1.9 million Australians paid debt vultures in the last 12 months: REPORT

According to a new report released today by Consumer Action Law Centre, approximately 1.4 to 1.9 million Australians have paid for debt management or credit repair services in the last 12 months. Thes...

December 15, 2020

Debt Management: Quantum Market Research

This report by Quantum Market Research on debt management firms is based on its AustraliaNOW weekly survey of attitudes and behaviour during COVID-19. A total of 2,005 people representative of age,...

December 15, 2020

Consumer groups comment on Banking Royal Commission reforms

Consumer groups welcome today’s passage of Royal Commission recommendations into law, but condemn the government for introducing the law to axe safe lending laws into the House. “This week the govern...

December 10, 2020

Victoria’s energy reforms positive but enforcement needed: Report

Victoria has taken the lead among Australian states in recent years with significant reforms designed to protect Victorians from being ripped off by energy retailers and ensure people receive appropri...

December 8, 2020

‘Bills here, bills there’: Report on the lived experience of Victorian energy reform

This report is a deep dive into how energy reforms of recent years are impacting Victorians. Taking a qualitative approach, we draw on interviews and case studies to examine how recent reforms are hel...

December 8, 2020

Calling out the banks: Why responsible lending laws need to stay intact

First published in The Age/Sydney Morning Herald, 2 December 2020 It's a great pity that the banks are weighing in so publicly to support the rollback of our responsible lending laws. Just when...

December 4, 2020

Federal Court finds multiple breaches of Australian Consumer Law in relation to credit repair, but not debt management 

Federal Court finds multiple breaches of Australian Consumer Law in relation to credit repair, but not debt management The Federal Court has found that J Daniels & Associates (JDA), a debt mana...

December 1, 2020

Private member’s Bill addresses Government’s ‘half-baked’ proposals on payday loans and high-cost leases

A private member’s Bill introduced in Parliament today by Andrew Wilkie MP would, if passed, greatly reduce the harm that high-cost payday loans and consumer leases cause to thousands of Australians....

November 30, 2020

Lower bills a welcome relief for people on the Victorian Default Offer but room for further reductions

The Essential Services Commission’s (ESC) announcement today that electricity bills will decrease for households on the Victorian Default Offer (VDO) is good news, but it is disappointing that the cos...

November 27, 2020

Product intervention power for continuing credit contracts – some further considerations

Consumer Action, Financial Rights Legal Centre and WEstjustice have made a second submission to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s (ASIC) Consultation Paper 330 (CP 330), in which A...

November 27, 2020

Report reveals telco failures during COVID-19 crisis

Consumer Action has today published a report with case studies and data documenting      the ways the telecommunications industry in Australia continues to fail the community, even during the COVID-19...

November 26, 2020

Report: The Trouble with Telcos Stories from 2020

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November 26, 2020

Scrapping lending laws would take away legal rights and hinder economic recovery 

Consumer advocates have published a submission on exposure draft legislation that would repeal lending consumer protections in the National Consumer Credit Protection Act, in direct contradiction of t...

November 23, 2020

Treasury consultation: Consumer Credit Reforms our submission

A coalition of consumer advocates have published a submission on exposure draft legislation that would repeal responsible lending laws in the National Consumer Credit Protection Act. The submission p...

November 23, 2020

Energy efficiency and targeted rebate plan to help with big energy bills the right approach

Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed the Victorian Government’s announcement today to help thousands of concession holders manage their energy bills.  For many people in our community, home ener...

November 17, 2020

Buy now pay later report reveals one-in-five users going without essentials like meals

A report released today on the buy now pay later (BNPL) industry reveals statistics that suggest many Australians are being pushed into financial harm. The report by the Australian Securities &...

November 16, 2020

Parliament must kick ‘rent-to-buy’ products off Centrepay for good

Consumer Action has thrown its support behind a private member’s Bill introduced to the Senate yesterday to stop ‘rent-to-buy’ operators from accessing the Government’s bill paying service.  The Bi...

November 13, 2020

One step forward, two steps back: Banking Royal Commission reforms welcomed but deep concerns remain 

Consumer groups* have strongly welcomed the introduction of a Bill today in Parliament to prevent hard-sell tactics for insurance and other financial products. The Bill introduces some of the 76 lo...

November 12, 2020

Stop The Debt Trap Alliance supports South Australian Bill for enhanced consumer protections

The Stop The Debt Trap Alliance has provided feedback on the draft Fair Trading (Small Amount Credit Contracts and Consumer Leases) Amendment Bill 2020 (SA). The Alliance) is a coalition of consume...

November 10, 2020

We support enhanced protections for South Australians from payday loans and high-cost leases

Consumer Action has provided a submission on the draft Fair Trading (Small Amount Credit Contracts and Consumer Leases) Amendment Bill 2020 (SA) (the SA Bill). Consumer Action strongly supports the...

November 9, 2020

Impact Report 2019-2020

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November 9, 2020

The Rooftop Solar Sector Review: Our Submission

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the Clean Energy Regulator’s (CER) review into the rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) sector. There has been...

November 4, 2020

Telco industry fails individuals and businesses during the pandemic

Data released today on the telco industry shows the sector has failed to meet community expectations throughout the pandemic, leaving families and business customers high and dry in their time of need...

October 28, 2020

Modernising the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Terms of Reference

Westjustice, Consumer Action Legal Centre (‘Consumer Action’), Financial Rights Legal Service(‘FRLS’), and Financial Counselling Australia (‘FCA’) provide legal casework and financial counselling serv...

October 28, 2020

Victorian Default Offer 2021 – Draft Decision

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Essential Service Commission’s (the Commission) Victorian Default Offer 2021 Draft Decision (the Draft Decision)...

October 21, 2020

Not serving the community: Why we oppose the Cashless Debit Card scheme

Consumer Action seeks to enhance the rights of consumers and promote a marketplace where business plays fair. The Cashless Debit Card (CDC) undermines the role of the market in serving consumer and...

October 19, 2020

“Stop the harm”: Renewed calls for consumer lease providers to be kicked off Centrepay 

The Commonwealth Ombudsman recently handed down its final decision on Consumer Action Law Centre's complaints about Services Australia failing to enforce the Centrepay Policy against predatory consume...

October 9, 2020

Predatory lending risks undermining Government’s economic recovery effort

With jobs, household spending and economic recovery  the focus of last night’s Budget, the Stop the Debt Trap Alliance is warning that lax protections from predatory lenders risk undermining the Gover...

October 7, 2020

Corporate regulator takes legal action to stop harmful rogue lending

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) this week commenced legal proceedings against Cigno Pty Ltd (Cigno) and BHF Solutions Pty Ltd (BHFS), alleging the companies provided credit...

October 1, 2020

Government waters down payday lending reforms

The Government has announced that it will weaken proposed consumer protections it promised to implement nearly four years ago in relation to small amount credit contracts (payday loans) and consumer l...

September 28, 2020

Consumer groups call for an end to telco rip offs

Consumer groups* have shared harrowing stories of telco companies mistreating people around Australia and are calling on the Federal Government to fix the system so people are treated fairly. The c...

September 25, 2020

Consumer groups slam move to remove responsible lending law

Removing credit protections will cause harm to people and the economy   CHOICE, Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Counselling Australia and Financial Rights Legal Centre have responded to the Gov...

September 25, 2020

Telecommunications Consumer Safeguards: Choice and Fairness

Consumer Action, WEstjustice, VALS, FCVic, BCLS, HRCLS and HAAG consider it beyond dispute that telecommunications services, including internet services and mobile phones, are necessary for social inc...

September 25, 2020

Revamped Koorihelp website and Facebook page launched for community

Consumer Action has launched a revamped Koorihelp website and new Facebook page focused on providing the latest information about pressing consumer issues and services to Victoria’s Aboriginal and Tor...

September 23, 2020

Government-led Senate Committee backs strengthening consumer protections for predatory payday loans and high-cost leases

A Senate Committee has handed down its final report on proposed reforms to payday loans and consumer leases in the National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment (Small Amount Credit Contract and Consu...

September 22, 2020

Consumer groups welcome South Australian crackdown on predatory lenders

Consumer groups have applauded the South Australian government’s plans to crackdown on payday lenders and consumer lease providers. The government’s proposed laws would introduce important consumer pr...

September 16, 2020

Australian Competition Tribunal decision: A missed opportunity to improve solar sales practices

The Australian Competition Tribunal (the Tribunal) has handed down its decision today on the New Energy Tech Consumer Code (the Code), the proposed industry code for new energy technology such as sola...

September 15, 2020

Modernising the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Terms of Reference

WEstjustice, Consumer Action Legal Centre, Financial Rights Legal Service, and Financial Counselling Australia provide legal casework and financial counselling services to consumers, particularly thos...

September 11, 2020

Extension of bankruptcy threshold protections should be made permanent

Consumer groups have welcomed the Government’s extension of bankruptcy threshold protections until the end of the year because of the COVID emergency and are calling for the changes to be made permane...

September 10, 2020

COVID is making the debt crisis worse, let’s act now and treat people fairly

First published in the Herald Sun 10 September 2020 Australians’ debt problems will skyrocket due to the COVID-19 recession. We need to act now to ensure people in debt are treated fairly in the mo...

September 10, 2020

Standing up against systemic racism

Consumer Action Law Centre stands in solidarity with all those protesting systemic racism over recent months. Our colleagues at Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) have issued a statement reg...

September 9, 2020

Report misses the mark on buy now pay later regulation

The Senate Select Committee on Financial Technology and Regulatory Technology has published its Interim Report. Consumer groups say the Interim Report has missed the mark on its recommendation encoura...

September 3, 2020

Taking advantage: The negative impact of funeral insurance in Aboriginal Communities

This opinion piece is by Kaylee Anderson and Mark Holden and it is based on an article – ‘The impact of funeral insurance in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities’ –  which first appeared...

August 28, 2020

$28 million of junk add-on insurance claims and counting… ASIC must act now to fix junk insurance   

Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Rights Legal Centre and WEstjustice have made a submission to the corporate regulator urging a crackdown on junk insurance sales in car yards. The submission c...

August 25, 2020

The sale of add-on financial products through car yard intermediaries

Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Rights Legal Centre and WEstjustice have made a submission to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) Consultation – Product intervention: The...

August 24, 2020

Inquiry into Victoria’s Response to COVID-19

COVID-19 has deeply affected the Victorian community in unprecedented ways. With a significant number of job losses and most of the population staying at home in compliance with public health orders,...

August 10, 2020

Using the product intervention power: Continuing credit contracts

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) is consulting on using its product intervention powers (PIP) against the second Cigno lending model. Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer...

August 7, 2020

Consumer groups welcome NAB crackdown on debt vultures

Consumer groups have welcomed a crackdown on debt vultures by National Australia Bank (NAB). In a statement today, NAB says it will no longer deal with unlicensed debt management providers. Cons...

July 29, 2020