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The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) Board has adopted changed to the organisation’s Terms of Reference to: reflect the legislative requirement for carriers and intermediaries in the supply of telecommunications services (such as aggregators) to belong to the TIO strengthen the obligation on members to provide information requested by the TIO in order to resolve a…

Read More Revisions to Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Terms of Reference

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The following is a joint media release from the Commonwealth Small Business Minister Michael McCormack and Commonwealth Employment Minister Michaelia Cash. A Taskforce led by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will conduct an investigation into quad bike safety under plans announced today by the Minister for Employment Michaelia Cash and Minister for Small Business…

Read More Quad Bike Safety Taskforce

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Product safety standards for exercise bikes and treadmills have been maintained to ensure the safety of users, Minister for Small Business Michael McCormack says. “As Minister responsible for Consumer Affairs, one of my highest priorities is for Australian consumers’ safety,” Mr McCormack said. “Australians should feel confident when they purchase a good, the item will operate…

Read More Safety Standards for Exercise Equipment Reviewed and Maintained

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The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is disappointed that complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) have increased by a massive 41.1 per cent during 2016-17.   This rise in complaints is reflective of the experiences we are hearing from consumers and indicates there are systemic issues with customer service in the industry. Customer…

Read More Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman complaints reveal need for updated safeguards

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Energy Consumers Australia (ECA) and the Queensland Consumers Association (QCA) have welcomed the ACCC’s Preliminary Report for its Electricity Supply & Prices Inquiry. In his Preliminary Report, ACCC chairman Rod Sims has confirmed that the electricity market is not working as it should and not delivering good value for money outcomes for consumers. The QCA says this confirms what…

Read More Consumer Advocate Groups welcome ACCC’s Preliminary Report on retail electricity prices

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Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) is pleased to release a tool for consumer advocates to monitor the implementation of the recommendations from the Review of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) and the Productivity Commission Report into ACL Administration and Enforcement. These reports set a substantial agenda for consumer law reform which has been welcomed by…

Read More New Tool to Monitor Australian Consumer Law Review Implementation

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ACCAN CEO, Teresa Corbin, discussed a range of telecommunications consumer issues in a speech today at the CommsDay Melbourne Congress. In particular, Ms Corbin outlined issues related to nbn’s Special Access Undertaking (SAU) and consumer issues relating to the NBN rollout. The SAU is a document that establishes the regulatory regime of the National Broadband Network for…

Read More ACCAN CEO highlights consumer issues at CommsDay Congress

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This Stay Smart Online Week, the ACCC is warning the community to watch out for common online scams they might encounter. The online sphere – email, the internet, social media and mobile apps – has overtaken telephones as scammers’ preferred tool of the trade to contact potential victims. In 2017, the ACCC’s Scamwatch site has…

Read More Stay Smart Online

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Tough new ticket scalping reforms will help stamp out dodgy price gouging practices in the live entertainment industry, NSW Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean announced today. The proposed reforms would put consumers first and stop tickets from being swept up and resold at grossly inflated prices on the secondary market. Mr Kean said the proposed…

Read More Major NSW Ticket Scalping Reforms to Put Consumers First