Strengthening protections against unfair contract terms: Comments on Treasury exposure draft legislation
This joint submission contains feedback on Treasury’s proposed reforms to unfair contract term (UCT) protections for consumers and small businesses from Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Rights Le...
Consumer vulnerability: Expectations for the telco industry
This joint submission is made on behalf of Consumer Action Law Centre, WEstjustice, Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and Hume Riverina Community Legal Service. Broadly, we are pleased to see the...
Review of the 2021 Australian Banking Association Code of Practice
This is a joint submission made on behalf of members of the Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA), the peak body for consumer organisations in Australia. CFA represents a diverse range of consum...
ASIC Consultation Paper 346 – The Hawking Prohibition: Update to RG 38
This submission has been prepared by Consumer Action Law Centre with contributions and endorsement from the Financial Rights Legal Centre, Financial Counselling Australia and Super Consumers Australia...
Finance executives who break the law must be held to account
The Banking Royal Commission revealed that many decisions made by senior leaders of financial services firms have had a devastating impact on people across Australia. Their conduct has driven many mem...
Federal Government’s commitment to compensation scheme of last resort welcomed
A coalition of consumer groups has welcomed the Federal Government’s commitment to establish a compensation scheme of last resort. Uncompensated losses arising from financial misconduct can cause a...
Consumer leases must not be excluded from Government’s design and distribution obligations regime
Consumer Action has today written to the Treasury noting that the Government intends to make amendments to the design and distribution obligations (DDO) regime. The letter strongly urges the Govern...
Victoria’s Embedded Networks Review: Our response to the Draft Recommendations
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Embedded Networks Review Draft Recommendations Report. We agree with the Panel’s vision that, “...consumers should have equal protections,...
Our response to the Right to Repair Inquiry Draft Report
We strongly support recommendations to address the main barriers to accessing repairs and other remedies through consumer guarantees. These barriers would be reduced through the introduction of altern...
Victorian Gas Substitution Roadmap Consultation
For Victorians we speak to at Consumer Action their concerns are often about immediate affordability of energy bills, including gas. These bills are unaffordable for many reasons and can include, but...
Telstra Energy – application for electricity and gas retail licence raises questions
This submission is made jointly to the Essential Services Commission from the Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Counselling Australia, Financial Counselling Victoria and the Victorian Aboriginal L...
Regulating with consumer vulnerability in mind: Essential Services Commission’s draft strategy
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Essential Services Commission’s (ESC) draft consumer access and equity strategy, Getting to fair: Breaking down barriers to essential service...
2022 Victorian Default Offer
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Essential Services Commission’s (the Commission) consultation paper, Next steps for the Victorian Default Offer (the Consultation Paper). The...
Access, pricing and incentive arrangements for distributed energy resources
Consumer Action Law Centre welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Australian Energy Market Commission’s (AEMC) Access, pricing and incentive arrangements for distributed energy resources (DER) dra...
Next steps for the Victorian Default Offer
Consumer Action Law Centre welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Essential Services Commission’s (the Commisson) consultation paper Next steps for the Victorian Default Offer. These comments...
Consultation on Draft Regulator Performance Guide
We support the Government’s planned introduction of a new framework to replace the existing 2014 Regulator Performance Framework (Old Framework), which is considerably flawed and outdated. The Draft G...
Framework for reform –Modernising Victoria’s building system
This submission responds primarily to the proposed improvements relating to consumer protection, in particular, the proposals to: Improve existing advocacy and support services for individual con...
Gambling should not be funded by credit
While gambling is a legitimate form of entertainment for many Australians, we believe it should not be funded by credit and support a prohibition on the use of credit cards, including via e-wallets, f...
The 2021 Water Price Review –Melbourne Water Draft Decision
Access to water is a basic human right. All Victorians are entitled to a supply of water necessary for an adequate standard of living. Fundamental to this is that water services remain affordable for...
Retirement Villages Act Review –our Options Paper submission
Consumer Action, with COTA Victoria, Residents of Retirement Villages Victoria (RRVV) and Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG), is a coalition of residents and consumer rights groups that have ass...
Implementing the Royal Commission recommendations: The deferred sales model for add-on insurance
Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) and Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financial Rights) broadly support the content of the draft regulatory guide for the industry-wide direct sales model (DS...
Review of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority
Contributors to this submission have supported and represented thousands of people in disputes with financial services providers and superannuation funds over many years. This includes extensive exper...
Consumer remediation: Update to Regulatory Guide 256
We strongly support a continuing focus on consumer remediation by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in its enforcement. Remediation programs have been a very welcome develop...
Our concerns about proposed changes to the governance standards for registered charities
Our submission to the Charities Consultation @Treasury.gov.au expresses our concerns about proposed changes to the governance standards for registered charities. We consider the proposed changes ar...
