Australian Consumer Law - Consumer Action Law Centre

Commit to a lemon car ombudsman in November election say consumer advocates

Consumer Action Law Centre and WEstJustice Western Community Legal Centre are calling on the Victorian Government to make a solid commitment, ahead of the upcoming Victorian election in November, to i...

Government’s commitment to regulate buy now pay later products welcomed

Key consumer and community groups are welcoming comments by the new Minister for Financial Services, Stephen Jones, that the Government will move to regulate buy now pay later (BNPL). Minister Jone...

Crypto asset secondary service providers consultation paper

Consumer Action broadly supports the intention of the Government to introduce regulation to oversee the rapidly growing crypto asset environment. The crypto marketplace currently poses significant...

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Retailer authorisation and exemption review: Issues Paper

Consumer Action Law Centre welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Australian Energy Regulator’s (the AER) Issues Paper as part of its review of the retailer authorisation and exemption frameworks...

Telcos are an essential service and must step up to help customers in need

Consumer Action has welcomed the Statement of Expectations today from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) setting out clarity for telcos on assisting customers experiencing vulner...

ASIC litigation against fictitious high-cost ‘leases’ protects against exploitation

Consumer Action has welcomed the Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s (ASIC) announcement that it has sued Rent4Keeps and Layaway Depot for breaches of the National Credit Code involving...

Water is an essential service and must remain affordable for everyone

Consumer Action Law Centre has written to the Chairs and Managing Directors of the Victorian water corporations about the impending 2023 Water Price Review, urging them to prioritise affordability so...

The Australian Communication and Media Authority’s compliance priorities 2022-23

The impact of COVID-19 and lockdowns during 2021 underscored the essential nature of telecommunications, as well as the effect of poor telecommunications practices on people experiencing vulnerability...

US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Inquiry into Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) Providers

While there have always been various forms of instalment credit products in the marketplace, Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) is a uniquely Australian invention, that has now been exported around the world....

An evaluation of our Consumer Advice Service

The Consumer Advice Service (“CAS”or“the service”) is a free telephone legal advice service run by Consumer Action Law Centre(“Consumer Action”) for people living in Victoria. Lawyers delivering th...

More than $2billion lost as redress system fails scammed Aussies

Today is World Consumer Rights Day, which this year focuses on the need for fairer digital finance for all, including better protection from online scammers. New analysis from Consumer Action reveals...

OPINION: That lemon car sour taste just keeps getting worse

Opinion piece by Gerard Brody, CEO Consumer Action Law Centre A version of this opinion piece appeared in the Herald Sun today The pandemic has helped drive second-hand car prices up 50 percent...

Punish companies when they fail to give a repair, replacement or refund

Consumer Action, CHOICE, CCLSWA and WEstjustice are backing Treasury’s recent proposal to penalise businesses who don’t provide a repair, replacement or refund to a consumer when one is due. Fining bu...

ALRC Report 137: Submission to Interim Report A

The Australian Law Reform Commission’s (ALRC) first Interim Report as part of a three-year review of complexity in Commonwealth legislation regulating corporations and financial services, has been tab...

Consultation Paper 350: Consumer Remediation

The following organisations have contributed to and endorsed this submission:• Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Rights Legal Centre, and Super Consumers Australia. We support a continuing focu...

Improving the effectiveness of the consumer guarantee and supplier indemnification provisions under the Australian Consumer Law

Consumers expect to purchase products that work, and when they don’t work people should be easily able to enforce their consumer guarantee rights. We welcome the opportunity to provide comments to...

Banking Code Compliance Priorities 2022-23

The Banking Code Compliance Committee’s (BCCC) administration and enforcement of the Banking Code of Practice (the Code) is a key aspect of regulatory oversight in the banking sector. The BCCC’s mo...

ASIC Consultation Paper 354: Relief for simple arrangements following a hardship notice

The Australian Investments and Securities Commission's (ASIC) Class Order 14/41 is due to expire in March 2022. Consumer organisations recommend that ASIC allows this to happen. This instrument no...

Product intervention orders in credit: A joint submission

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action), Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financial Rights), the Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network Ltd (ICAN), the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and WEstju...

Time to finally end the harm done by Cigno loans

Consumer groups and financial counsellors are urging the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) to act now to put an end to the use of harmful lending models used to charge excessive...

Australian consumer groups warn UK Government against industry “self-regulation” of Buy Now Pay Later

Financial Counselling Australia and the Consumer Action Law Centre have shared Australia’s experience of weak consumer safeguards for Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), as part of the UK Government’s consultat...

Banks should take more responsibility for scams

The Treasurer’s proposed transformation of the regulation of payment systems is an opportunity to embed financial safety, and ensure protections are built in from the outset says Consumer Action's CEO...

ConsumerAction · Masa Tawalbeh: Law student and intern at Consumer Action

Masa Tawalbeh: Law student and intern at Consumer Action

"Every time I work with someone at CALC, I truly get the sense that they care about my progress..."...

Joint Consumer Submission to Regional Banking Taskforce

Banking is an essential service that is critical to the wellbeing of consumers, small businesses and community organisations in regional Australia. However, accelerating branch closures are creating v...

Submission: Compensation Scheme of Last Resort and Financial Accountability Regime

Uncompensated losses arising from financial misconduct can cause a range of lasting impacts on people, including the loss of a family home, bankruptcy, the collapse of the family business, mental and...

Our submission to New Zealand Government inquiry into buy-now pay-later

Our submission is supported by Financial Counselling Australia, the peak body for financial counsellors (commonly known as financial mentors in New Zealand), who work with not-for-profit community org...

Central and Gippsland Region Sustainable Water Strategy: Our submission

Access to water is an indispensable human right. All Victorians have the right to enjoy access to safe, reliable water supplies, so that they are able live healthy and dignified lives. Fundamental...

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Tougher consumer protections at core of payments reform welcomed

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s announcement today that the Government intends to reform Australia’s payment systems is a real opportunity to improve consumer protection, according to Consumer Action Law...

“The time is now”: Consumer groups urge banks to implement key code review recommendations

The final report of the triennial independent review of the Australian Banking Association’s (ABA) Banking Code of Practice released today makes over 100 recommendations aimed at improving people’s ex...

Our comments on the Telecommunications Reform Bill

Telecommunications services are essential services – but are not regulated as such despite their critical role across the country. We appreciate the opportunity to comment on this plan to reform an in...

Payment difficulty framework implementation review: feedback on key review questions

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) has provided feedback on the Essential Services Commission’s key review questions as part of their review of the implementation of the energy payment diff...

Consumer advocates welcome recommendation for stricter controls of credit funded gambling online

Financial Counselling Australia (FCA), Financial Rights Legal Centre and the Consumer Action Law Centre welcome the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services’ recommendation...

Presentation to Parliamentary inquiry on improving corporate engagement with First Nations consumers

Consumer Action's Aboriginal Policy Officer Samantha Rudolph, and Director of Policy and Campaigns Katherine Temple spoke today at a Parliamentary Inquiry looking into ways of improving corporate enga...

Consumer groups call for new ombudsman to ‘prune’ lemon cars

Consumer advocates are calling on the Victorian Government to commit to a free and effective dispute resolution service for Victorians who are sold ‘lemon’ cars by car dealers in next year’s Budget....

Victorian pre-Budget submission 2022-23

Victoria desperately needs a specialist dispute service to assist people sold defective motor vehicles. Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action), Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS), WEst...

Our Impact 2020-21: Improving laws, fighting shonky businesses, helping people

Today we are delighted to publish our Impact Report 2020-21 which highlights Consumer Action’s achievements over the past year. Despite the challenges of another year of working much of it from hom...

Review of the Banking Code Compliance Committee: Our response to the Interim Report

This joint submission from Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Rights Legal Centre, Financial Counselling Australia, Care ACT, Consumer Credit Legal Service (WA) Inc and Council on The Ageing (COTA)...

COVID, scams and growing risks: Why we need consumer protections with teeth

Opinion piece by Gerard Brody, CEO Consumer Action. If there is one thing that changed about our lives from COVID-19, it’s the dramatic shift to online communication and shopping. According to the...

Review of the ABA Banking Code of Practice –response to Interim Report

This joint submission is made on behalf of members of the Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) and other consumer representatives and advocates. It builds upon our previous submission made to revi...

Consumers win as long-awaited financial services sector reforms commence

A raft of major reforms in the financial services sector have come into effect this week, the culmination of years of consistent campaigning and casework from consumer advocacy groups representing hun...

15 consumer groups and professional associations call for stronger compensation scheme

A diverse coalition of organisations is calling for a broad financial compensation scheme, as legislation is expected to be introduced into Federal Parliament in the coming weeks. The coalition, wh...

The Life Insurance Code final round of consultation

Financial Rights Legal Centre, Consumer Action Law Centre and Redfern Legal Centre have made a joint submission to the final round of consultation on the review of the Life Insurance Code of Practice...

Consultation on Owners Corporations Amendment Regulations 2021

Consumer Action has made a submission to the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety relating to proposed Owners Corporation Amendment Regulations.The submission argues that the regulatio...

Supporting South Australian Council of Social Service’s submission to the Remote Area Energy Supply Scheme Issues Paper

Samantha Rudolph is a Wurundjeri woman, and the Aboriginal Policy Officer with Consumer Action Law Centre. She works as part of an integrated practice project addressing the systemic causes of consume...

Scam losses are increasing dramatically- what should be done?

Opinion piece by Gerard Brody, CEO Consumer Action As more and more people contact Consumer Action Law Centre regarding scam losses, and increasingly large losses, I've been thinking about the adequa...

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...

Banks can do better: Consumer groups make more than 100 recommendations to improve bank behaviour

A coalition of the country’s leading consumer organisations is calling on Australia’s major banks to make significant updates to their industry code to improve outcomes for customers. The Consumers’ F...

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...

Consumer groups concerned that travel insurance has unwarranted exemptions from Hayne reforms

Consumer advocates are calling on the Federal Treasurer and ASIC to implement the ban on unsolicited selling of insurance and superannuation consistently with the letter and spirit of Commissioner Hay...

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