Looking after the needs of Victorian energy consumers
The Energy & Water Ombudsman Victoria (EWOV) plays an important role in ensuring Victorian households have ongoing access to fair outcomes in relation to the provision of essential energy and wate...
Keeping energy market prices down during energy shortages or network constraints
Demand response service providers could play an important role in the event of energy shortages, coordinating high energy users to consumer less to help keep energy prices down across the market. Curr...
Preparing vulnerable Victorians for electricity outages
Consumers rely on energy distribution businesses to ensure a consistent supply of their essential electricity services. It is important that these businesses are regulated effectively so that consist...
Keeping comprehensive credit reporting fair for those who have previously experienced hardship
Leading consumer advocacy bodies are concerned that customers who experience financial difficulty repaying loans will be unfairly penalised by credit reporting reforms proposed by the National Consume...
The norm of fairness must be recognised
Our existing consumer protection framework has failed to prevent unfairness from becoming embedded in business practices. From unclear marketing, subscriptions that make cancellation difficult, to...
Closing the ‘unfair contract terms’ loophole for insurance – Exposure draft legislation
There is a big fairness problem in insurance. People often make insurance claims when they are at a low ebb, but they can face shocking outcomes when insurers rely on unfair terms in insurance contrac...
ASIC’s proposed ban on outbound phone sales of life, funeral and consumer credit insurance
Unsolicited selling is an outdated and abusive practice with a significant risk of mis-selling people products they don’t want, need or understand. Financial Rights Legal Centre and Consumer Action...
Response to ASIC’s update to internal dispute resolution requirements for financial firms (RG165)
It is critical that the process to make and resolve complaints with a bank, insurer, or super fund is timely, fair, and accessible, including for people experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage. O...
Support for an independent review of the Customer Owned Banking Code of Practice
In our joint submission with Financial Rights Legal Centre, Consumer Credit Legal Service (WA), Financial Counselling Australia and the Financial & Consumer Rights Council, we support Cameron Ralp...
New Energy Tech Consumer Code must protect Australians from exploitative buy now pay later arrangements
Consumer Action regularly assists vulnerable and disadvantaged consumers in Victoria with legal and financial issues that arise due to new energy technology such as solar. . The New Energy Tech Consu...
Protecting guarantors from financial abuse
In our feedback to the Banking Code Compliance Committee (BCCC) inquiry into banks’ compliance when accepting and enforcing guarantees, Consumer Action discusses our concerns with guarantee provision...
Victorian Default Offer to apply from 1 January 2020 Issues Paper
The Victorian Default Offer (VDO) was designed to re-regulate electricity pricing to ensure that more Victorian households receive a fair price on their electricity service. Since the VDO’s establishm...
ASIC Consultation Paper 313: Product intervention power
We welcome the introduction of the product intervention power (PIP) and look forward to ASIC using the power to target businesses that cause consumer detriment by engaging in predatory conduct or fail...
ASIC Consultation Paper 316: Using the product intervention power: Short term credit
Businesses such as Cigno Pty Ltd, which facilitate access to predatory and unregulated payday loans by exploiting loopholes in the law, are on notice as the Australian Securities and Investment Commis...
Insurance in super: Putting Members’ Interests First Bill 2019
Consumer Action Law Centre and Financial Rights Legal Centre made a joint submission to the Senate Economics Legislation Committee’s inquiry into provisions of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Putting Mem...
Victoria’s Mental Health Royal Commission must examine links between links between poverty, debt and mental health
Consumer Action’s financial counsellors and lawyers speak regularly to individuals experiencing mental health issues. These individuals are commonly trying to deal with a range of consumer problems in...
Ensuring energy contracts are clear and fair, ESC Issues Paper
Deregulation in Victoria’s energy retail market has not delivered fair outcomes for all households accessing their essential energy services. The State Government has taken a number of steps to hel...
Comment on the ACCC’s authorisation of amendments to the 2019 Banking Code of Practice
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action), the Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financial Rights) and Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) have provided comment on the Australian Banking Association...
Banks should recognise that anyone can become vulnerable: Submission to ABA Guideline on Customer Vulnerability
There are any number of reasons why a person would be unable to unwilling to speak up when they are struggling with their financial situation. Who among us hasn’t faced a financial issue at one poi...
Essential Services Commission Consequential amendments related to the Victorian Default Offer Draft Decision
Generally, we strongly support this Draft Decision as it makes clear that energy retailers must ensure that they inform households in Victoria of new protections and options available when choosing an...
New Energy Tech Consumer Code ACCC application
Energy is an essential service and the energy system is rapidly transitioning to new technologies. Householders are finding it increasingly complex, confusing and risky to make decisions about their e...
ASIC must overhaul responsible lending guidance to protect Australians
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) has called on the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) to urgently overhaul responsible lending guidance to better protect Australians fr...
Proposed AFCA arrangements for comparative reporting of complaint data
Comparative reporting of data related to complaints against financial service providers will empower consumers to make informed decisions about where to take their business. Consumer Action Law Centr...
ACCC Northern Australia Insurance Inquiry First Interim Report
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) strongly supports the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) important work on insurance pricing and the operation of insurance markets in...
