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...
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...
ACCC monitoring of the electricity supply in the National Energy Market discussion paper
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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-...
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...
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...
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...
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...