COVID19 - 3/7 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

27 November , 2020

Better hand sanitiser information to keep COVIDsafe

The following is a media release by the Hon Michael Sukkar MP: Consumers will be able to better identify the effectiveness of different hand sanitiser products under new laws designed to help Australians stay COVIDsafe. The Morrison Government has accepted the recommendations of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) that requires hand sanitiser manufactures…

27 November , 2020

Report reveals telco failures during COVID-19 crisis

Consumer Action has published a report with case studies and data documenting the ways the telecommunications industry in Australia continues to fail the community, even during the COVID-19 crisis. This is Consumer Action Law Centre Media Release. The Trouble with Telcos: Stories from 2020 report reveals that many people have been left high and dry by their telecommunications providers, with people being: unable to access affordable hardship assistance, forced to take out more credit to pay…

25 November , 2020

Travel problems top list of COVID-19-related reports

New figures released today show COVID-19-related consumer reports make up the majority of the 109,446 complaints the ACCC received in the first ten months of this year. This is an ACCC Media Release. The impact of COVID-19 on consumers and fair trading report reveals the pandemic’s impact on travel resulted in 24,210 complaints to the ACCC,…

28 October , 2020

Measuring Australia’s digital divide: the Australian digital inclusion index 2020

The Australian Digital Inclusion Index 2020, released by RMIT and Swinburne University of Technology for Telstra, illustrates Australia’s online participation. The following is a summary of the key findings of the study, published by the Analysis and Policy Observatory. The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the critical importance of digital inclusion in contemporary Australia. With the…

21 October , 2020

A tale of two homes: Australia’s housing market divides the population

Consumers and COVID-19: September results snapshot. New consumer data released today by the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) investigating the experience of consumers in the month of September reveals a stark contrast in the experiences of renters and mortgage holders trying to maintain their financial, emotional and physical wellbeing during the pandemic. Higher levels of financial stress…

30 September , 2020

Resilience tested, phone and internet complaints decrease in year of challenges

Complaints about phone and internet services decreased 4 per cent in the last financial year ending 30 June 2020. In this period, residential consumers and small businesses made 127,151 complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, highlighted in the Annual Report 2019-20 published today. Read the TIO Annual Report 2019-20 here. Over the financial year complaints…

22 September , 2020

CFA welcomes start of a national education campaign to help grocery shoppers get better value for money

The consumer peak body, the Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA), strongly welcomes the start of a new national consumer education campaign aimed at increasing grocery shopper awareness and use of the unit prices provided on shelf labels and the internet by many grocery retailers. The campaign is being run by the national and state/territory consumer…

16 September , 2020

Consultation on the development of the National Preventative Health Strategy

In June 2019, the Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP announced that the Australian Government would develop a National Preventive Health Strategy. The Strategy aims to help Australians improve their health at all stages of life, through early intervention, better information, and targeting risk factors and the broader causes of health and wellbeing.…

8 September , 2020

ISO standard on unit pricing relevant to consumers affected by the COVID-19 economic crisis

In the latest edition of the ISO Consumer Update, Consumers International says consumer advocacy has a vital role to play in guiding, advising and informing consumers to ensure they can access a fair and affordable market for essential products and services. The Update also refers to a recent guest blog on CI’s website about: How…

1 September , 2020

Money on your mind – campaign to improve mental and financial health

Beyond Blue and Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) are encouraging people to access free support services to cope with the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The organisations have launched the Money on Your Mind campaign to support people experiencing financial stress and mental health issues. Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows 41 per cent of…

25 August , 2020

Pricing policies need fixing to give grocery shoppers better value for money during COVID-19 crisis

The consumer peak body, the Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA), says the federal government should help consumers get greater value for money during the current economic crisis. CFA chair, Gerard Brody, says “The federal; government could help consumers save hundreds of millions of dollars a year by completing and implementing quickly the review of the…

18 August , 2020

Young people facing debt tsunami as they borrow from their future to make ends meet

New consumer data released today by the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) investigates the experience of consumers during the three months from May to July and raises serious alarms about the debt tsunami facing young people (18-34) as they try to make ends meet during COVID-19. 70% of young Australians are now concerned about their…