COVID-19

Hands opening an empty brown leather wallet Hands opening an empty brown leather wallet

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.  CHOICE, Financial Rights Legal Centre, Consumer Action Law Centre and Financial Counselling Australia are at the forefront of helping people impacted by COVID-19, particularly people doing…

Read More Banks Announcement of Further Assistance for Customers a Timely Relief: Consumer Groups

Three people sitting at a desk having a meeting, two with their backs to the camera Three people sitting at a desk having a meeting, two with their backs to the camera

Australians in dispute with their bank, insurer, super fund or financial firm have lodged more than 80,000 complaints in the last 12 months, with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) securing $258.6 million in compensation and refunds direct to consumers.  People made 80,546 complaints to AFCA between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2020. This…

Read More AFCA receives more than 80,000 complaints in FY19/20, nearly 5,000 of which are COVID-19 related

A black calculator next to a hard copy bank statement A black calculator next to a hard copy bank statement

A new research report by the Consumer Policy Research Centre explores the global response to COVID-19, with nationwide survey of 1114 Australians showing people are drawing on limited resources just to make ends meet. 12 million Australians are concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on their financial wellbeing; 1 in 5 are ‘very’ concerned Almost…

Read More 1 in 4 Australians are struggling to pay for essentials such as energy, groceries and insurance, adding to existing rent and mortgage stress

and hand pumping hand sanitiser from a bottle and hand pumping hand sanitiser from a bottle

Consumer advocate CHOICE has written to the Victorian Consumer Affairs Minister Marlene Kairouz with proposed legislation to stop price gouging on essentials during a crisis. “The past few months have shown us that in a crisis, consumer protections for Australians are the first thing to go.” says Amy Pereira, CHOICE Campaigner. “We need strong protections…

Read More CHOICE calls for urgent price gouging legislation to protect Victorians in future crises

A person looking at a flights board at an airport A person looking at a flights board at an airport

UNCTAD is calling on governments to intensify efforts to protect consumers. Written by Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Director of International Trade and Commodities, UNCTAD. Global lockdowns to contain the spread of COVID-19 currently affect half of the world’s population and 4.5 million flights are expected to be cancelled until 30 June. The UN World Tourism Organization estimates that international…

Read More Airlines must respect consumers’ rights: UNCTAD

Post thumbnail

Grocery shoppers wanting to get value for money during the current economic crisis should be using the unit price information (price per unit of measure) provided for prepackaged products by all large supermarkets. Gerard Brody, chair of the peak consumer body the Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA), says “The unit price information shown on shelf…

Read More Grocery shoppers urged to use unit prices to get better value for money during the COVID-19 economic crisis

Post thumbnail

The Consumers’ Federation of Australia has made submissions to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) responding to authorisation applications from NBN Co, the Australian Energy Council (AEC) and Private Healthcare Australia Limited (PHA). Businesses can seek authorisation from the ACCC where conduct risks breaching competition laws but is in the public interest. While CFA…

Read More CFA responds to COVID19 cooperation proposals from NBN Co, Australian Energy Council and Private Healthcare Australia

A wifi modem A wifi modem

NBN speeds and performance declined as Australians followed social distancing instructions to stay home due to COVID-19, but picked up following measures by NBN Co and streaming providers. The ACCC today released its first new monthly Measuring Broadband Australia report which tracks NBN network performance from February to April 2020. The report shows a recovery in network…

Read More NBN speeds recover after COVID-19 demand

A person walking though an airport pulling luggage. There are planes on the tarmac that can be seen out of the window behind the person A person walking though an airport pulling luggage. There are planes on the tarmac that can be seen out of the window behind the person

The Queensland Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is advising consumers wanting to make travel plans to be wary about ‘pay now/book later’ holidays in the current climate and to read the terms and conditions carefully. Fair Trading Executive Director Brian Bauer said that while regional travel restrictions may be easing, international travel restrictions were likely…

Read More Don’t rush into your next ‘pay now/book later’ getaway

Post thumbnail

Scamwatch has received over 2000 coronavirus-related scam reports with over $700 000 in reported losses since the outbreak of COVID-19 (coronavirus). Common scams include phishing for personal information, online shopping, and superannuation scams. Visit Scamwatch for details on how scammers target consumers and tips to protect yourself. If you have been scammed or have seen…

Read More Scammers use COVID-19 to take advantage of consumers across Australia