Payment Difficulty and Hardship - Consumer Action Law Centre

Centrepay will no longer be a vehicle for financial abuse

Consumer advocates welcome reforms to Government payment service The Financial Rights Legal Centre, Mob Strong Debt Help, Consumer Action Law Centre, CHOICE, Anglicare NT and Economic Justice Austral...

Energy Consumer Reforms Regulatory Impact Statement

Consumer Action Law Centre strongly supports the proposed reforms outlined by the Essential Services Commission (ESC) in the Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS). We consider that these reforms will prov...

Minimum disconnection amount draft decision

In this submission, we discuss the significance of energy affordability in determining a disconnection amount, the risks with setting a threshold to disconnect a person or household from an essential...

Stop the harms! Regulate wage advance products now say consumer advocates

Consumer advocates from across Australia are calling on the Albanese Government to urgently regulate the proliferation of ‘wage advance’ products that are making the cost-of-living crisis worse for th...

Better Energy Customer Experiences consultation

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) supports the prioritisation of a strong energy consumer protection framework for Australian energy customers, particularly as we transition to renewable en...

Victorian Default Offer welcomed but more ways needed to reduce high energy costs

Consumer Action Law Centre has welcomed today’s decision from the Essential Services Commission’s (ESC) on the Victorian Default Offer (VDO) for 2025-26 and has reiterated its call on the State Govern...

Cost-of-living measures in State Budget will make a positive difference

Consumer Action Law Centre CEO, Stephanie Tonkin has welcomed the cost-of-living measures announced in the Victorian State Budget saying they will make a ‘positive difference’ in the lives of many peo...

Essential Services Commission draft decision will help thousands in energy hardship

Consumer Action Law Centre strongly supports today’s draft decision from the Essential Services Commission (ESC) on stage one of its reforms to Victoria’s retail energy market, which will help the in...

ACMA Compliance Priorities 2025-26

Overall, we support the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA’s) current compliance and enforcement priorities and recommend they are extended into 2025-26 as there is more work to be do...

Much-needed Centrepay reforms the result of a decades-long campaign: Tonkin

Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Stephanie Tonkin said she was absolutely delighted that Minister Bill Shorten has announced consumer protections and reforms to Centrepay that restore it to its original...

Consumer advocates welcome proposed reforms to Government payment service

The Financial Rights Legal Centre, Mob Strong Debt Help, and Consumer Action Law Centre welcome the proposed reforms to Centrepay announced by Minister Bill Shorten this morning. These reforms include...

Consumer groups welcome reforms addressing harms caused by a bankruptcy system not fit for purpose

Consumer advocates have been calling for urgent reform for some time and last year outlined key pressure points during a round-table discussion organised by the Federal Attorney General, Mark Dreyfus...

Review of the National Energy Customer Framework

Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to provide our submission to the Australian Energy Regulator’s (AER) review of the National Energy Customer Framework (NECF). In this submission, we draw predo...

REPORT Energy Assistance Report 4th Edition: Keeping the Lights On

The fourth edition of Consumer Action’s Energy Assistance Report outlines the growing trends of people facing energy hardship; barriers to accessing hardship assistance; and priority areas for targete...

Lenders’ handling of customers’ hardship inadequate, as requests for help soar

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) has released a new report today, that outlines findings from a review of 10 large home lenders and concludes they should be doing much more t...

Relief for telco customers in financial hardship welcomed – but much more needs to be done

Consumer Action’s CEO Stephanie Tonkin says new telco supports flagged by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) are a significant step in the right direction, but further work must...

Response to the Review of Financial Wellbeing and Capability programs

This is our response to the Department of Social Services’ (DSS) review of the Financial Wellbeing and Capability (FWC) programs. This submission responds to select questions throughout the discussion...

Joint Submission: Getting the Victorian Default Offer right

This submission represents the shared view of leading Victorian community sector organisations and energy consumer advocates. Our submission identifies where there remains work to be done, and Victori...

Image of wind turbines denoting a submission about energy

2024-25 Victorian Default Offer: Request for comment paper

Consumer Action reaffirms the importance of the policy intent underpinning the Victorian Default Offer (VDO) to provide a simple, trusted and reasonably priced electricity option that safeguards consu...

REPORT: Our Impact 2022-23 fighting for a fairer marketplace especially for those needing help

We are delighted to publish our Impact Report 2022-23 which highlights our organisation’s achievements over the past year working for and with the people we help. Read about the many successes we h...

Consumer Action launches class action in Federal Court against pawnbroker Taylors Business

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) has filed a class action in the Federal Court of Australia against Taylors Business Pty Ltd. The lead plaintiff, a Victorian woman, represents herself and...

Telcos still not connecting with Aussies -especially those most impacted by the cost-of-living crisis

The latest figures released in the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman’s (TIO) 2023 Annual report show that the nation’s telcos are still not providing an acceptable standard of service in many key...

Personal insolvency discussion paper 2023

Consumer Action Law Centre provides financial counselling assistance and legal advice to people at all stages of the insolvency process. We regularly speak to people who end up in unnecessary and cost...

In this cost-of-living crisis Telstra can do much better on hardship support

The vast majority of Telstra customers will pay $5 per month more on their internet bills following price increases announced this week. Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Stephanie Tonkin said a growi...

AFCA’s responsible lending approach consultation

This submission is made on behalf of: • Consumer Action Law Centre • Financial Rights Legal Centre • Consumer Credit Legal Service (CCLS) • Financial Counselling Australia. Supporting and rep...

Australian Banking Association application for authorisation AA1000645

Consumer Action, Financial Rights and CHOICE are calling on the banking industry to do more to prevent scams, as increasing losses are having a devastating impact on individuals and the Australian eco...

Energy Assistance Report 3rd Edition

Understanding the experience of Victorians dealing with energy hardship Access to affordable, reliable energy is one of the key challenges facing governments, the energy sector, and consumers in 20...

Albanese Government’s new consumer safeguards for telco customers doing it tough welcomed

Consumer Action’s Acting CEO Tania Clarke has congratulated Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland for acting swiftly to address the growing list of concerns from consumer advocates and telco cu...

ACMA finds Telstra wrongfully cut off 5,400 vulnerable customers, proving stronger laws are needed

“Instead of offering fair and suitable hardship arrangements to support customers struggling to pay their bills, Telstra and other telco providers continue to breach their own industry rules by cuttin...

Let’s pass the Finance Sector Reform Bill: The Stop the Debt Alliance strongly endorses Senate committee recommendation

The Stop the Debt Trap Alliance, a coalition of dozens of consume advocacy organisations from around Australia, including financial experts, community advocates and service providers has strongly endo...

“Time for the financial harms to stop”: Consumer groups urge Senate to quickly pass reforms on payday loans and consumer leases

Consumer Action is one of 20 community organisations strongly recommending that the consumer credit reforms in the Finance Sector Reform Bill (FSR Bill), relating to Small Amount Credit Contracts (SAC...

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