Consumers' Federation of Australia

29 April , 2025

Crossbenchers and community advocates push for increase to income support

Independents, Greens and other crossbench candidates are pushing the next government to substantially increase income support to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and lift people out of poverty. With a minority government possible after this election, crossbenchers have signed a joint statement with ACOSS and representatives from the community sector declaring that raising the rate is…

24 April , 2025

Playing the Player – new report shines a light on dark gaming patterns

The Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) and Monash University recently partnered together on a new report ‘Playing the Player: Unfair digital gaming practices and their impact on Australians‘. Below is the introduction and 9 key recommendations of the report. To download a copy of the full report, or to see a summary of the key…

23 April , 2025

Federal Court finds Qteq and Simon Ashton engaged in ‘cartel conduct’

The Federal Court has today found oil and gas services company Qteq Pty Ltd and its executive chairman Simon Ashton engaged in cartel conduct in relation to the supply of goods and services in the oil and gas industry, following court action by the ACCC. The Court found that between 2017 and 2019, on five…

23 April , 2025

Cost of Living Crisis the top priority for 2025 Election

Consumer Action Law Centre has revealed a list of its top consumer-centric priorities to make life fairer and better for all Australians, ahead of the upcoming federal Election. “This Federal Election is all about the cost-of-living, and no matter who steps into government it’s vital that they prioritise relieving the harsh financial burdens now being felt by…

23 April , 2025

Why Competitive Markets Matter for All Australians

From the supermarket shelf to your electricity bill, competition shapes the choices we have and the prices we pay. When markets are competitive, businesses are pushed to offer better services, lower prices, and more innovation. But when competition is weak or distorted, consumers lose — paying more for less, and having fewer choices. That’s why…

23 April , 2025

ACCC’s draft authorises collaboration on sustainable finance initiatives

The ACCC has released a draft determination proposing to grant authorisation with conditions to allow the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute (ASFI) and industry participants to collaborate on sustainable finance initiatives for five years. ASFI is seeking authorisation for itself, ASFI members and other industry participants to exchange information to improve the integration of natural capital…

22 April , 2025

Every dollar counts – financial counsellors launch election campaign

Financial counsellors have launched their federal election campaign – When every dollar counts, so does financial counselling – we can’t afford to wait. Financial Counselling Australia (FCA), along with all the state financial counselling associations, is calling for a commitment from all sides of politics to provide increased and more sustainable funding, particularly for face-to-face financial…

22 April , 2025

Apparel business admits to illegal activity

The ACCC has accepted a court-enforceable undertaking from apparel business Hard Rock Enterprises Pty Ltd in which it admitted to engaging in resale price maintenance and making false or misleading representations about consumers’ rights to return faulty or incorrect products. Hard Rock is an Australian business which sells blank apparel to retailers on a wholesale…

14 April , 2025

Unsolicited door-to-door sales the target of Australia’s first Designated Complaint

Consumer Action Law Centre is calling for a nationwide ban on unsolicited selling in the first ever designated ‘super’ complaint presented to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). A designated complaint is a new power that allows complainants to raise an issue with the ACCC, which the ACCC is required to consider and come back with…

2 April , 2025

ASIC report reinforces urgent need for mandatory super standards

[S]uper funds are blind to their own failures, with no targets, no monitoring, and no accountability…we’ve seen people subject to years of delay. These are people who’ve just lost a loved one—and they’re forced into a bureaucratic maze with no end in sight.

31 March , 2025

Advocates welcome ACCC Supermarket Inquiry unit pricing recommendations

The Queensland Consumers Association (QCA) has welcomed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) recognition of the need to greatly improve the national grocery unit pricing system in the final report of its supermarket inquiry released today. Unit pricing, (the price per unit of measure – for example $1.41 per 100g for a 765g packet…

28 March , 2025

Research highlights consumer distrust in broken telco system

Preliminary research commissioned by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) raises alarm bells for policymakers and regulators. Findings point to widespread consumer harm and deep mistrust in the telecommunications industry. The polling, conducted as part of the first tranche of ACCAN’s consumer sentiment research, highlights troubling experiences of telco behaviour and unmet expectations. “Given…