Consumer safeguards must be front and centre of new scams framework say consumer advocates
Consumer Action Law Centre, CHOICE, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) and Super Consumers Australia, have welcomed the announcement from the Albanese Government of a consul...
Update on the Class Action against Pawnbroker, Taylors Business Pty Ltd, located in Delahey, Victoria
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) is conducting a class action against Taylors Business Pty Ltd (ACN 107 445 723), located in Delahey, Victoria. What are the legal claims and orders soug...
Door-knock sales ban starting this week in Victoria will reduce harms say consumer advocates
Consumer Action Law Centre campaigned long and hard for a ban on door-to-door sales in Victoria and we are delighted that the ban for businesses that are part of the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) ha...
AFCA scam complaints ‘off the charts’ while banks fail to reimburse customers
The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) received a record number of complaints in 2023-24 after disputes to the ombudsman service increased 9 per cent to more than 105,000 for the year. C...
Money Yarns, Stronger Futures: New Report Highlights Financial Challenges for First Nations People
The Consumer Action Law Centre has today released a groundbreaking report titled Money Yarns, Stronger Futures. The report amplifies the voices of First Nations people, sharing their personal experien...
ASICs ‘Better banking’ project will help First Nations customers -Remaining banks need to do better to reduce fee-harm-
Consumer Action Law Centre congratulates the Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s (ASIC) Indigenous Outreach Program team on the success of their Better banking for Indigenous consumers...
POLLING: Big majority of Australians say banks should do their job and take responsibility for keeping our money safe
Banks victim-shaming approach ‘immoral’- Tonkin New polling by Essential Media is unequivocal: the vast majority (75%) of Australians expect banks to keep their money safe from criminal scammers, a...
Consumer groups welcome reforms addressing harms caused by a bankruptcy system not fit for purpose
Consumer advocates have been calling for urgent reform for some time and last year outlined key pressure points during a round-table discussion organised by the Federal Attorney General, Mark Dreyfus...
‘ The Telco Code has run its course and failed to deliver’: ACMA must explore other options to protect consumers
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has called on the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to reject a proposed consumer protections code drafted by the telecommu...
Consumer Action and CHOICE chosen as designated complainants
The Albanese Government has announced today that Consumer Action Law Centre has been chosen as a designated complainant. This means that Consumer Action, with fellow consumer advocate CHOICE, and the...
Consumer advocates welcome revised Banking Code of Practice with incremental improvements noted
Consumer advocates are welcoming the revised Banking Code of Practice (the Banking Code) announced today which includes some incremental improvements to consumer protections. Consumer Action Law Ce...
REPORT: Energy debt higher than ever as low-income households priced out of essential service
Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Stephanie Tonkin says the Centre’s new report Energy Assistance Report 4th Edition: Keeping the Lights On published today, highlights that thousands of Victorians are st...
Consumer groups welcome new laws regulating Buy Now, Pay Later as credit but some concerns remain
New laws regulating Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) have been announced today. Consumer groups respond as follows: Quotes attributable to Stephanie Tonkin, CEO of Consumer Action Law Centre “We welcom...
Fed Court decision final ‘nail in the coffin’ for predatory lenders Cigno Australia Pty Ltd and BSF Solutions Pty Ltd
Consumer Action Law Centre is delighted the Federal Court has issued a strong decision that calls out Cigno Australia Pty Ltd, BSF Solutions Pty Ltd and two of the entities’ directors for exploiting l...
Victorian Default Offer price drop will help thousands of families but more needs to be done
Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Stephanie Tonkin says the Essential Services Commission’s (ESC) decision to lower the Victorian Default Offer (VDO) price is welcome but doesn’t go far enough to help th...
Mandatory codes for scams will work if the Govt can push banks, telcos and big tech companies to lift their game say consumer advocates
Consumer advocates have welcomed the Albanese Government’s plan to set up the legislative framework and push to make the banks, telcos, and digital platforms lift their game to stop scams. The m...
Lenders’ handling of customers’ hardship inadequate, as requests for help soar
The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) has released a new report today, that outlines findings from a review of 10 large home lenders and concludes they should be doing much more t...
Consumer advocates call for improved domestic family violence protections
Telecommunications consumers experiencing domestic and family violence (DFV) must see mandatory protections through direct regulation, say consumer advocates, in the wake of an important speech by the...
ACCC scam report reveals Australians bearing the losses of a ‘scamdemic’ in a cost-of-living crisis
The huge cost of scams on Australian families in a cost-of-living crisis, is placing an unacceptable burden on a community already doing it tough. That’s the bleak reality of the figures in the Austra...
Applied Insurance Law – Climate Disasters, a free online course
All you need to know about insurance law and climate disasters: and its totally free. Consumer Action’s newest self-paced eLearning module is Applied Insurance Law – Climate Disasters. You will...
Lower Victorian Default Offer for electricity welcomed but consumers in energy hardship need much more relief
More callers in paid employment contacting the National Debt Helpline are struggling with energy debt and reporting an increase in energy retailers providing inadequate hardship assistance. That’s...
Energy prices hitting families hard and bigger price reductions urgently needed say consumer advocates
Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Stephanie Tonkin has welcomed draft decision by the Essential Services Commission (ESC) that will see a modest decrease in energy bills this year, but as more families a...
Senate Inquiry: Cost-of-Living crisis highlights the need for supermarket prices to be fair and transparent say consumer advocates
Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Stephanie Tonkin and Acting Director of Financial Counselling Practice Claire Tacon will be giving evidence today at the Senate Select Committee hearing into supermarket...
Regulation of Buy Now, Pay Later a step closer, but concerns remain over details
Consumer groups have responded to draft Buy Now, Pay Later legislation (BNPL) released today : Quotes attributable to Stephanie Tonkin, CEO of Consumer Action Law Centre “We welcome regulating Buy...
