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Original media release from the ACCC (7/03/2024). Consumer and competition issues in the supermarket sector and essential services including electricity and financial services are among the ACCC’s compliance and enforcement priorities for the year ahead, ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb announced today. “Our priorities continue to be shaped by the key challenges facing our economy and the…

Read More ACCC Announces 2024-25 Enforcement Priorities

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Original media release by and from the ACCC (29/02/2024). A new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by the ACCC and its Filipino counterpart, the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC), will continue to strengthen cooperation between the two competition regulators. Interagency collaboration fostered by the MOU, will enhance the effective administration of competition law and policy in…

Read More Memorandum of Understanding Between Philippines and Australian Competition Watch-Dogs

From Surviving to Thriving: Embedding a well-being framework into financial counselling practice Skills and Knowledge Connections - Survivng - Stabilising - Building - Thriving Identity Health Basic Needs Money

In 2020, the Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network (ICAN) set out to widen the scope of its financial counselling services by looking at how it could deliver a holistic financial counselling framework that could better meet the financial and well-being needs of its service users. Over the past three years, ICAN has been developing a practice framework for its financial counselling services that embeds elements of the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework. Today ICAN has released the report: From surviving to thriving: Embedding a well-being framework into financial counselling practice that shares the learnings from this significant organisational undertaking.

Read More ‘From Surviving to Thriving’ ICAN’s Report on Holistic Financial Counselling

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The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has appointed a Review Panel to conduct an independent review of the 2020 General Insurance Code of Practice. As part of this, the ICA is providing resourcing to the Consumers Federation of Australia (CFA) for the preparation of joint consumer submissions and engagement with the review.
Please send expressions of interest to info@consumersfederation.org.au by c.o.b. Thursday 7 March 2024. If this date is difficult, please contact CFA Chair

Read More Seeking CFA member to prepare joint consumer submissions to the Independent Review of the 2020 General Insurance Code of Practice

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The Full Court has upheld ASIC’s appeal in its case against ACBF Funeral Plans Pty Ltd (ACBF) and Youpla Group Pty Ltd (Youpla), finding that funeral expenses insurance provider ACBF misrepresented to Aboriginal consumers that it was Aboriginal owned or managed when that was not the case.
[T]he Court found that, on the evidence, it is ‘abundantly clear … that the Aboriginal Ownership/Management Representation is false.’

Read More Full Court Finding Supports First Nations’ and ASIC Allegations of ACBF/Youpla Misrepresentation

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Original media release from the Attorney-General’s media centre (27/02/2024). The Australian Government has commenced an independent review of Australia’s Credit Reporting Framework. Australia’s credit reporting system plays an important role in assessing eligibility and suitability for credit and in reducing the risk of financial harm to consumers, as well as protecting the privacy of individuals…

Read More Independent Review of Australia’s Credit Reporting Framework Commences

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Original media release from CSLR (27/02/2024). The Compensation Scheme of Last Resort (CSLR) acknowledges the announcement yesterday from the Australian Government, appointing our independent Chair and the official scheme commencement date. CSLR welcomes Jo-Anne Bloch as our inaugural Chair, marking the completion of the CSLR Board.  Ms Bloch was independently appointed by the Minister, in accordance with…

Read More Chair Announced for the Compensation Scheme of Last Resort

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When was the last time you were certain that your data wasn’t being collected, shared, tracked or used in unfair business practices? A recently released joint research report from the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) ‘Singled Out: Consumer understanding – and misunderstanding – of data broking, data…

Read More No Say, No Knowledge, No Control: Personal Data in Australia

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Australians love caravanning and camping. We see it as a great way to experience Australia’s open spaces and natural beauty. Caravanning and camping has recovered well since the COVID-related lockdowns ended and trips were at 12.7 million by the year ending June 2022, according to Tourism Research Australia caravan and camping data.  Standards Australia has…

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