On 26 November2025, The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP (Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury) made the first consumer ministerial statement to Parliament in 17 years.
The statement, to the House of Representatives, contained information about a wide range of measures the government has taken, or plans to take, to better protect and empower Australian consumers, including action taken on scams and plans to ban unfair trading practices.
The statement is available here
In the statement the Minister also noted that measures that enhancing consumer protections and empowerment improves the operation of markets and he made the following comments about how this occurs and why it is important:
- Consumers are more vulnerable when markets tilt too far towards a monopoly, when competition fades and when consumer protections lag behind.
- Markets only work when they work for people.
- Strong consumer rights need real competition, and real competition depends on strong consumer rights. When markets become too concentrated, prices climb, service declines and firms lose the incentive to play fair.
- Unfair trading practices don’t just cost households; they also reveal how manipulative design and a lack of disclosure can tilt markets against consumers.
- Fairness in markets depends on transparency.
- Markets depend on trust—that prices are fair, contracts are clear and competition is genuine.
- Confident consumers and fair competition make better markets and a stronger, fairer economy.