Consumer Affairs Victoria is asking for feedback to help shape the laws that control how Victorians buy and sell property. A new options paper presents a range of possible reforms to modernise and improve Victoria’s 55-year-old Sale of Land Act 1962 (the Act). “Victoria’s property market is booming, and it’s essential the Sale of Land [...]
Standards Australia has released an Issues Paper titled The Role of Standards and Innovation for Driving APEC’s Silver Economy, providing insights to assist Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies to prepare for the challenges and opportunities created by ageing societies. In 2016, Standards Australia and the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, on behalf of [...]
“We hear you and we want to help” was the majority message from politicians in Canberra this week when they met with the Regional, Rural & Remote Communications Coalition. The Coalition met with more than 50 members of parliament over two days with the aim of highlighting the plight of telecommunications in the bush. National [...]
CFA members CHOICE, Consumer Action Law Centre and Financial Rights Legal Centre are calling on the federal government to act on conflicted remuneration in the mortgage market following an ASIC report that found widespread conflicts of interest for brokers and bank staff have led to an aggressive sales culture and poor outcomes for borrowers.[1] Quotes [...]
CHOICE says global companies need to stop pushing consumers into signing off on long, unreadable online contracts Consumers' Federation of Australia member CHOICE is calling on the Federal Government to stop companies from forcing consumers to accept tens-of-thousands of words of complex requirements, just to use a product, after a review of e-reader terms and [...]
Building a Digital World Consumers can Trust On 15th March, the Consumers' Federation of Australia and its members will be celebrating World Consumer Rights Day by joining a global campaign to build a #BetterDigitalWorld that promotes access, participation and innovation that is good for consumers, the economy and society. Consumer organisations from across the globe, [...]
CHOICE says consumers have lost $3.49 billion because credit card interest rates haven’t moved in line with the cash rate As the banks front a Parliamentary Inquriy this week to explain their poor practices, new research from CHOICE reveals their failure to pass on the official interest rate cuts to their credit card customers has [...]
The Queensland Consumers Association says householders experiencing difficulty paying high power bills caused by keeping cool during the sweltering summer should contact their power retailer as soon as possible. Association spokesperson, Ian Jarratt, says many power bills received, or those yet to arrive, will be well above normal due to the use of power guzzling [...]
The Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Rod Sims says 2017 will see its enforcement teams hone in on misleading and deceptive practices, anti-competitive conduct and unfair contract terms affecting small businesses. Speaking at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) event in Sydney today, Mr Sims launched the ACCC’s 2017 Compliance [...]
Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation Matt Kean has today paid tribute to NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe for his 40 years of service to the people of NSW, including 28 years in the consumer affairs portfolio. Mr Stowe’s love of public service began appropriately on Valentine’s Day in 1977, when he was appointed [...]
Consumers’ Federation of Australia has published its submission to the Commission’s Consumer Law Enforcement and Administration Draft Report. The submission calls for additional public funding for consumer advocacy. Furthermore, CFA encourages the Productivity Commission to develop mechanisms which found fund the necessary consumer advocacy and input, aside from a call on the Federal Budget. The [...]
Australian Energy Regulator (AER) is seeking expressions of interest for membership to their Consumer Consultative Group (CCG). The CCG works to advise and assist the AER on problems that can impact small energy consumers, such as residential and business customers who consume under the relevant usage threshold set by the National Energy Retail Law jurisdiction. The CCG's [...]
