The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has made five short films to promote consumer issues on the Tiwi Islands
The videos will be distributed through the ACCC’s Facebook page. The ACCC aims is to increase awareness of consumer rights among remote Indigenous island communities. The videos communicate with islanders in familiar language. They are coupled with accessible and friendly Facebook posts informing consumers of their rights.
The first video to be published highlights ‘using your rights’ with mobile phone contracts.The remaining videos will be published over the next three months, with complementary Facebook posts.
In releasing the videos, Regional Director of Northern Territory ACCC, Derek Farrell said:
“This is just one of the latest ways the ACCC is engaging with Indigenous consumers to help them confidently exercise their consumer rights and for the ACCC to identify, understand and respond to important consumer issues”
“We consider this an important step in increasing consumer access channels to the ACCC. We hope that social media will provide a new means for early reporting of contraventions of consumer law and we would encourage people to ‘like’ our page.”
“We also hope the educational messages delivered on this page will lead to more effective protection for Indigenous consumers,” Mr Farrell said.
“By grounding the project in an Indigenous community, it is hoped that the films will resonate well with Indigenous consumers. The aim is to pilot the concept on the Tiwi Islands before expanding to other communities,”
The ACCC is working closely with NT Consumer Affairs, the Consumer Affairs agencies of other States and the ACT, and organisations such as the Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network to ensure that the rights of Indigenous consumers are protected.
For more on the ‘ACCC – Your Rights Mob Tiwi Islands’ and Facebook page.