Consumers' Federation of Australia

15 November , 2018

ACCAN welcomes new complaint powers for telco customers

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) welcomes today’s release of the Federal Government’s report on Complaints Handling and Consumer Redress in the telecommunications industry. As Australia’s peak body representing telecommunications consumers, ACCAN has argued that better regulation in telecommunications is needed to safeguard the interests of consumers. The Government’s report acknowledges this need. “We…

9 November , 2018

Proposed fees for gift card users

Gift card users may be unfairly penalised for querying charges if proposed regulations go ahead. The Federal Government is consulting on draft legislation which would permit the charging of post-supply fees and fees for disputing transactions. CFA supports the submission made by member organisation, the Queensland Consumers’ Association (QCA), calling for disputed card fees or charges…

8 November , 2018

Consumers call on Aldi to improve shelf labels

The Queensland Consumers Association is calling on Aldi to made the unit prices on its supermarket “new look” shelf labels much more prominent and legible. Association spokesperson, Ian Jarratt, says the unit prices on the new labels being widely introduced are much less easy for consumers to notice and read than those on the old…

5 November , 2018

Convertible tricycle strollers – have your say

Recent surveillance activities by the ACCC have identified many convertible tricycle strollers did not have important safety features such as brakes, appropriate harnesses, tether straps or suitable warnings required under the standard. There are a wide variety of tricycles currently for sale in the market. Some tricycles closely resemble a traditional tricycle (sometimes with a…

3 November , 2018

Standards for the sharing economy

The sharing economy connects consumers to people who have products or services to sell, hire or lease via an online platform. It includes services such as Airbnb and Uber. An ISO International Workshop Agreement (IWA) aims to provide the foundation on which more standardisation solutions to support the sharing economy can be built. ISO COPOLCO supported the development of…

30 October , 2018

Consumers want more help to reduce the cost of keeping cool

The Queensland Consumers Association wants governments and industry to do much more to help consumers reduce the cost of using air conditioners when temperatures and humidity levels are high. The Association is particularly concerned about the lack of information available for consumers about using air conditioners in eco/econ mode. Association spokesperson, Ian Jarratt, says many…

30 October , 2018

Hydrogen – A fuel for the 21st century

Like natural gas, hydrogen can be used to heat buildings and power vehicles. Unlike natural gas or petrol, when hydrogen is burned there are no CO2 emissions. The only by-products are water vapour and heat. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, not freely available as a gas on Earth but bound into…

27 October , 2018

Meeting of Ministers for Consumer Affairs

Commonwealth, State, Territory and New Zealand Ministers responsible for fair trading and consumer protection met in Melbourne on 26 October 2018. The objective of the Legislative and Governance Forum on Consumer Affairs (CAF) is to provide the best and most consistent protection for Australian and New Zealand consumers through its consideration of consumer affairs and…

26 October , 2018

Minister for Better Regulation announces business reforms

Consumers and small business owners around the State will save more than half a billion dollars over 10 years thanks to the NSW Coalition’s sweeping Better Business Reforms. The package of reforms, which passed Parliament this week, includes significant red tape reductions for small businesses and better transparency measures for consumers. Minister for Better Regulation…

25 October , 2018

Peak consumer group calls on Ministers to fast track priority consumer protections

Ahead of this Friday’s meeting of Ministers for consumer affairs, the Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) has urged faster progress on updating the Australian Consumer Law. Chairperson of the CFA Gerard Brody said that consumers have been waiting too long for vital reforms to laws on product safety, refund rights and unsolicited selling “The Final…

20 October , 2018

ACCC & ASIC given stronger powers over unfair contract terms

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) will have investigative powers to assess whether a term in a standard form contract may be unfair, thanks to measures passed in the Parliament by the Coalition Government yesterday. This means the regulators will have stronger powers to ensure consumers…

17 October , 2018

Access to Justice for International Tourists

The following is an excerpt from a report by Professor Michelle Kelly-Louw, President of the International Association of Consumer Law. The International Association of Consumer Law’s (IACL’s) 16th conference, entitled “Economic Development and Consumer Law” was held at the Faculty of Law of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in 2017. One of the topics…