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Established in 1989, National Volunteer Week (NVW) is the largest celebration of volunteers and volunteerism in Australia and provides an opportunity to highlight the role of volunteers in our community and to say thank you to the more than 6 million Australians who volunteer. Consumers Federation of Australia (CFA) depends on the volunteers who represent…
Read More National Volunteer Week 2019
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Australians lost almost half a billion dollars to scammers in 2018 according to the latest figures in the ACCC’s Targeting Scams report released today. “Total combined losses reported to Scamwatch and other government agencies exceeded $489 million – $149 million more than 2017,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said. “And these record losses are likely just the tip…
Read More Scams cost Australians half a billion dollars
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CFA and several member organisations have made written submissions to the federal government’s review of the grocery industry unit pricing mandatory Code of Conduct administered by the ACCC. The Code requires most very large grocery stores and online grocery retailers to display on shelf labels, etc. the price per unit of measure of grocery products…
Read More CFA and members make submissions to review of federal unit pricing regulation
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The Morrison Government has commissioned the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) to undertake a comprehensive review of the corporate criminal responsibility regime. Justice Robert Bromwich has been appointed as a part-time member of the ALRC to assist with the review. “It is essential that our laws are effective in holding corporations to account for criminal…
Read More Review into Australia’s corporate criminal responsibility regime
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The Department of Industry, Innovation and Science has commenced public consultation on the second set of discussion papers for the Measurement Law Review (the Review). The issues examined in the three new discussion papers include: What measurements should apply when buying particular goods or services (Measurement-Based Transactions) How we can safeguard confidence in the measuring…
Read More Public consultation opens on new Measurement Law Review discussion papers
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Labor will make the Australian economy fairer and more competitive by raising the penalties for competition and consumer breaches to levels in line with other advanced nations. In recent years, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has brought cases against a veritable who’s who of major firms. Telstra was fined for misleading consumers about…
Read More Labor proposes to increase penalties for competition law contraventions if elected
L-R: ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard, CFA Deputy Chair Gordon Renouf and Lauren Levin
The CFA Prize for Consumer Advocacy is awarded annually at the ACCC National Consumer Congress. Now in its second year, the prize is open to any consumer advocate or advocacy organisation who has conducted consumer advocacy during the previous year. This year, the judging panel consisted of Gail Pearson, Gordon Renouf and Delia Rickard. Entries were judged on the following…
Read More 2019 CFA Advocacy Prizewinner announced
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Gift cards are increasingly the payment method of choice for scammers. Scamwatch reports show more than $5 million was lost in 2018, a 38 per cent increase compared with 2017. iTunes cards accounted for $3.1 million in losses – a 156 per cent increase from the $1.23 million reported in 2017. However Scamwatch has also…
Read More Payment demanded by gift card? It’s a scam
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An Australian Government project to reduce harmful scam activity has released its Terms of Reference. The Scam Technology Project, led by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) with representation from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Cyber Security Centre, will explore ways to disrupt scam activity on telco networks. Chair…
Read More Scam project underway
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The following is a transcript of the keynote address presented by Fiona Guthrie AM, Chief Executive Officer of Financial Counselling Australia, at the ACCC 2019 National Consumer Congress. Reimagining the Corporation: Why we need to change the purpose of our biggest companies INTRODUCTION I am going to begin and end this speech in the same place. And that is…
Read More Reimagining the Corporation: Fiona Guthrie’s speech to the National Consumer Congress
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The following is a media release by Andrew Leigh MP Local accommodation providers will have greater control of their own businesses under a Shorten Labor Government, making small businesses more competitive and reducing the price of a weekend away. If elected, Labor would ensure that Australia’s accommodation providers would have the ability to set their own prices so they can compete with the multinationals…
Read More Labor pledges to put Aussie hotels back in control
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Large retailers supplying high value electrical appliances and whitegoods, such as refrigerators, computers and washing machines, will be a key enforcement priority for the ACCC in 2019. “We’re concerned that many manufacturers and large retailers are not complying with consumer guarantee laws and this will be an area of renewed focus for us this year,”…
Read More ACCC 2019 focus on consumer guarantees and anti-competitive practices