Maintain households’ rights when accessing essential energy services
Australian Energy Market Commission Issues Paper 2; Consumer Protections in an Evolving Market: Traditional Sale of Energy - 2020 Retail Energy Competition Review

As new energy products and services create more options for consumers to access energy offers with non-conventional pricing or features, the complexity of making decisions increases and poses more ris...

February 18, 2020

Implement strong protections to ensure households benefit from new energy technology
Australian Energy Market Commission Issues paper one: Consumer Protections in an Evolving Market: New Energy Products and Services - 2020

Consumer Action’s legal and financial counselling services have regularly assisted consumers experiencing harm as solar technology grows in popularity in Victoria. Our Power Transformed, Knock It Off!...

February 13, 2020

Cashless Debt Card undermines the role of the market in serving consumer and community interests
Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee – Social Security (Administration) Amendment (Income Management to Cashless Debit Card Transition) Bill 2019

Much of the Federal Government’s effort to address cost of living pressures involves making it easy to switch and exercise choice, for example, through the new Consumer Data Right. However, the Cashle...

October 2, 2019

Giving energy users access to fair finance for new energy tech
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission - AA1000439 New Energy Tech Consumer Code Application

On 9 September 2019, Consumer Action attended a pre-decision conference on AA1000439 New Energy Tech Consumer Code (The Code) Application. We have provided a further submission following the discussio...

September 20, 2019

The norm of fairness must be recognised
Final Report of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission Digital Platforms Inquiry

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...

September 2, 2019

Helping customers engage confidently in the retail energy market draft decision
Essential Services Commission - Helping customers engage confidently in the retail energy market draft decision

We support changes to regulation that will facilitate simple ways of resolving issues with estimated billing. While we support making consistent factsheets for energy offers that are easier to compreh...

February 4, 2019

ACCC monitoring of the electricity supply in the National Energy Market discussion paper
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission - Discussion Paper on the ACCC monitoring the electricity supply in the National Energy Market

We welcome the ACCC’s ongoing inquiry into the prices, profits and margins in the supply of electricity in the NEM. A plethora of reports have established that the electricity market is not operating...

December 19, 2018

AEMC National Energy Retail Amendment (Preventing discounts on inflated energy rates) Rule 2018 Consultation Paper

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) National Energy Retail Amendment (Preventing discounts on inflate...

April 17, 2018

Submission – Inquiry into Competition in the Australian Financial System Draft Report

The Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Counselling Australia and the Financial Rights Legal Centre are pleased to provide a submission in response to the Inquiry into Competition in the Australian...

April 17, 2018

Submission in response to Customer Price Information – Issues Paper

Consumer Action is happy to contribute to the development of materials to improve consumer engagement in the energy market—with the important caveat that we do not believe consumer engagement initiati...

November 3, 2017

Submission in response to National Energy Retail Amendment (Notification of the end of a fixed benefit period) Rule 2017 Rule Change Consultation Paper

The strategies involved in the proposed Rule Change, and in previous work outlined in the Commission’s consultation paper, reflect policymakers’ continued pursuit of trying to improve the effectivenes...

October 9, 2017

Submission: Inquiry into Competition in the Australian Financial System

The Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action), Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) and the Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financial Rights) have welcomed the Productivity Commission’s review of c...

September 22, 2017

AEMC review of regulatory arrangements for embedded networks

SACOSS and the signatories consider that the existing framework has provided a high degree of flexibility and competition in products and services for embedded networks which has led to some valuable...

May 22, 2017

Productivity Commission’s Issues Paper Human Services – Identifying sectors for reform (Issues Paper).

Consumer Action Law Centre is pleased to provide this submission to the Productivity Commission’s Issues Paper Human Services – Identifying sectors for reform (Issues Paper). This submission provides...

August 2, 2016

Competition Policy Review Final Report

Consumer Action has made a submission to the Federal Treasury’s consultation on the Competition Policy Review Final Report. In summary, the submission argues: • Competition policy should promote the...

May 27, 2015

Media Release: Consumer voices must be at heart of competition policy reform: Consumer Action

Consumer Action Law Centre welcomes the release of the Harper Review into Competition Policy and particular the finding that purpose of competition is to make the market economy better serve the long-...

March 31, 2015

Submission: Competition Policy Review Issues Paper

Consumer Action has made a submission on the Competition Policy Review Issues Paper. The key points and recommendations are outlined below: While effective competition generally ensures market outc...

June 20, 2014

Submission: AEMC’s 2014 Retail Competition Review

Consumer Action has provided comment on the Australian Energy Market Commission’s (the AEMC) 2014 Retail Competition Review Approach Paper. We welcome ongoing reviews of competition within retail mar...

March 3, 2014

Submission: Inquiry into the post-GFC banking sector

This submission makes the following brief points: that the development of an independent measure of the cost of bank funding (including offshore wholesale funding, and deposits), regularly reported...

June 1, 2012

Contracting competition in the energy retail market results in lacklustre performance

A new report showing three leading energy retailers control almost 75 percent of market share is bad news for Victorian households which are missing out on the financial benefits and service improveme...

January 11, 2012