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,...
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...
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...
‘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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 &...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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)...
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...
“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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
$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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
Responsible lending law reform needed urgently
Consumer groups are extremely disappointed in ASIC’s decision not to appeal the Full Federal Court’s decision in the Westpac case to the High Court of Australia.[1] The Financial Rights Legal Centr...
Submission to the Essential Services Commission on the Victorian Default Offer
Consumer Action has made a submission to the Essential Services Commission on the Victorian Default Offer electricity price that is to apply from 1 January 2021. We consider that there is room to r...
Supporting energy customers through the coronavirus pandemic – Draft Decision
COVID-19 has caused significant disruption to households in Victoria and has highlighted the need to ensure that people’s health is not put at risk because of barriers to accessing energy for appropri...