Vulnerability - Consumer Action Law Centre

The sale of add-on financial products through car yard intermediaries

Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Rights Legal Centre and WEstjustice have made a submission to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) Consultation – Product intervention: The...

Inquiry into Victoria’s Response to COVID-19

COVID-19 has deeply affected the Victorian community in unprecedented ways. With a significant number of job losses and most of the population staying at home in compliance with public health orders,...

Using the product intervention power: Continuing credit contracts

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) is consulting on using its product intervention powers (PIP) against the second Cigno lending model. Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer...

Submission to the Essential Services Commission on the Victorian Default Offer

Consumer Action has made a submission to the Essential Services Commission on the Victorian Default Offer electricity price that is to apply from 1 January 2021. We consider that there is room to r...

Supporting energy customers through the coronavirus pandemic – Draft Decision

COVID-19 has caused significant disruption to households in Victoria and has highlighted the need to ensure that people’s health is not put at risk because of barriers to accessing energy for appropri...

Regulator proposes to stop the latest predatory lending model involving Cigno

The corporate regulator is proposing to again use its product intervention power (PIP) in relation to Cigno and BHF Solutions. Consumer Action Law Centre supports the move, saying there is a desperate...

Banks Announcement of Further Assistance for Customers a Timely Relief

Today’s announcement by the banking industry of further assistance to help customers experiencing financial hardship will provide some important relief to those who continue to be impacted by COVID-19...

Submission supporting the re-authorisation of the Solar Code

Consumer Action has supported the Clean Energy Council (CEC)’s application for re-authorisation of the Solar Retailer Code of Conduct (the Solar Code). Principally, we support the application to avoid...

Regulator reveals telcos failing to do proper credit checks

The telco regulator has released worrying findings from its mystery shopping study into companies' credit assessments today. The study released today by the Australian Communications and Media Aut...

Submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee’s Class Action Inquiry

Class actions provide Australians a valuable mechanism for accessing justice where systematic or repetitive conduct by the same party has caused similar harm to numerous individuals. Class actions als...

Comment to the Class Action Inquiry

Consumer Action has provided comment to the Parliamentary Joint Committee’s inquiry, Litigation funding and the regulation of the class action industry (Class Action Inquiry). Class actions p...

Submission: Maximum prices for embedded networks and other exempt sellers

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Essential Service Commission’s (ESC) Maximum prices for embedded networks and other exempt sellers Draft Decisio...

A joint submission to the Electricity Distribution Price Review (2022-2027 Victorian EDPR)

Affordable electricity remains critical for vulnerable Victorians and a lack of energy affordability denies people sufficient access to an essential service. Further, high energy costs are a major cau...

Australians urged to share their stories about financial hardship during COVID-19

Today, Consumer Action Law Centre has launched an online form to enable people to share their experiences of financial hardship during the Covid-19 emergency. The goal is to help track the severity an...

$3.7 million package announced for Victorians struggling with energy bills

Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Gerard Brody says that the Victorian Government’s $3.7 million package for people having difficulty paying their energy bills is a well-timed funding boost as we head in...

Keep communities connected, urge more than 40 community organisations across Australia

As more people face the prospect of losing work due to the COVID-19 health crisis, community organisations are calling on banks, telcos, energy retailers, and rental providers to help people stay con...

A little relief will go a long way for thousands struggling due to COVID-19

Widespread disruption caused by COVID-19 is being felt across Australia. It won’t be long before we have thousands of people trying to survive on a reduced income, worried about whether they can pay t...

Energy contracts can only be fair if all Victorian energy users have the same protections

Despite the introduction of the Victorian Default Offer for electricity, the state’s most vulnerable energy consumers still face challenges in the market. Energy prices changing unexpectedly, excessiv...

Remove barriers to energy efficiency for rental properties

Consumer Action’s National Debt Helpline service provided financial counselling to over 11,000 people in the 2018/19 financial year. Often issues with low quality rental properties or disputes with re...

What type of financial support is available for people who have lost homes or income due to the Victorian bushfires?

Here is a list of financial payments available to support people who have lost their homes or their income as a direct result of the 2019-2020 bushfires in Victoria. This is not an exhaustive list...

Fairness must drive consumer policy in 2020

by Gerard Brody, CEO of Consumer Action Law Centre Fairness will be the big issue in consumer policy during 2020. It is being talked about like never before. This follows on from Kenneth...

Strong compliance and enforcement is needed in telecommunications industry

Consumer Action receives 2-3 new calls per week through our legal assistance and worker advice lines or the National Debt Helpline about clients who are negatively affected by unaffordable phone debt....

Tricky terms in electricity and gas contracts to be abolished

Victorian energy users are set to benefit from more clarity and fairness when it comes to their energy bills. This comes as a result of the Essential Services Commission (ESC) draft decision on Recomm...

Centre Alliance and Labor unite to force action on harmful payday loans and consumer leases

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the introduction today of legislation in the Senate by Labor and Centre Alliance, in the wake of Government inaction. The Bill is an important mea...

CommInsure sentencing shows we need a blanket ban on unsolicited selling

In the wake of CommInsure’s breaches of anti-hawking laws, Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) says it’s time to take urgent and decisive action by implementing an economy-wide ban on unsolic...

Victorian Default Offer price determination protects everyone’s right to a fair price for electricity in 2020

Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) welcomes the Essential Services Commission’s (ESC) announcement of ongoing price protection for household electricity supply in Victoria. The Victorian...

Banks must offer better value bank accounts to struggling Australians

The updated Banking Code received authorisation yesterday from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the ABA are now seeking final approval from the Australian Securities and I...

Insurance pricing differences: New vs existing customers

Local councils must take financial hardship into account when collecting rates

Financial counsellors assist clients who are experiencing financial hardship. Most of WEstjustice’s and Consumer Action’s clients are grappling with debts and meeting the high cost of living in Melbou...

Consumer protections in insurance about to take a much-needed leap forward

The general insurance industry’s new code of practice is a long awaited and necessary advancement, according to the Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financial Rights) and Consumer Action Law Centre (Con...

Access to basic bank accounts essential for vulnerable banking customers

In our joint submission with Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financial Rights) and Financial Counselling Australia (FCA), we offered strong support for the conditions proposed by the ACCC in its Draft...

Good consumer outcomes should not be sacrificed for bankers’ bonuses

The financial services industry plays an essential role in the lives of Australians, from providing for day-to-day transactions to providing for a comfortable retirement. Markets were opened becaus...

Funeral expenses only products must be held to a higher standard

Consumer advocates have held long standing concerns over the inadequate regulatory framework for funeral expenses products. In our joint submission with Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financial Rig...

Protecting Australian families from dodgy vendor terms and rent-to-buy arrangements

Over the years, our team has assisted a number of people who have been adversely affected by failed vendor finance and rent-to-buy deals, which are promoted as an opportunity to achieve home ownership...

Energy compliance and performance reporting guideline

Monitoring is only as effective as the information gathered. In our submission to the Essential Services Commission (ESC) Compliance and Performance Reporting Guideline updated to include new entit...

Financial product design and distribution obligations must be consumer centred and limit loopholes

The Design and Distribution Obligations (DADOS) require financial service providers to provide products that meet customer needs rather than focussing on securing the sale. In our joint submission on...

ASIC Enforcement Review

In our joint response to exposure draft legislation implementing certain aspects of the ASIC Enforcement Review Taskforce (ERT) Final Report, Consumer Action and Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financi...

Customer-owned banking code must adequately address financial vulnerability

In our joint submission with Financial Rights Legal Centre to the Report Two of the Customer Owned Banking Association’s (COBA) independent review of the Customer Owned Banking Code of Practice (COBA...

Making it easier for vulnerable customers to access fee-free banking

Access to fee-free ‘basic bank accounts’ are an important support for vulnerable banking customers. In light of the harm banking fees can cause for low-income and vulnerable consumers, Commissioner Ha...

Energy regulators should have strong powers to stop misconduct

Consumer Action supports the Treasury Laws Amendment (Prohibiting Energy Market Misconduct) Bill 2019 (the Bill). We feel that it will ensure the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has appropriate powe...

Royal Commission into Mental Health Terms of Reference Consultation

Cashless Debt Card undermines the role of the market in serving consumer and community interests

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...

ASIC’s intervention in junk ‘add-on’ insurance market open to abuse by car dealers as DemandaRefund.com tops $5 million

Consumer Action says the Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s (ASIC) proposal to use its product intervention powers (PIP) for add-on insurance and warranties sold by caryards lacks teeth...

National Energy Retail Amendment (Strengthening Protections for Customers in Hardship) Rule 2018 Draft Rule Determination

Fairness needs to be at the forefront of the energy market

It is our firm stance that fairness should be at the forefront of all markets. In our comment on the Energy Security Board (ESB) Post 2025 Market Design Issues Paper (Issues Paper), Consumer Action...

New telco industry data highlights urgent need for effective regulation and enforcement powers to protect Australians

New complaints data released by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) emphasises the clear need for regulation and strengthened regulator enforcement powers to protect Australians from poor...

Giving energy users access to fair finance for new energy tech

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...

“I don’t want other women falling into the same trap.” Victorian woman joins Canberra delegation to urge Government to stop predatory payday lenders

A Victorian woman who has suffered at the hands of payday lenders has an important message for the Government about the dangers of payday loans as she joins the Stop the Debt Trap Alliance, a coaliti...

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