Consumers' Federation of Australia

Image 11 May , 2023

Motor Vehicle Insurance and Repair Industry Code of Conduct – Independent Review

Original from the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), released there on 10/05/2023. The Motor Vehicle Insurance and Repair Industry (MVIRI) Code of Conduct Committee (CAC) has received Dr Michael Schaper’s final report on the independent review of the Motor Vehicle Insurance and Repair Industry Code of Conduct (the Code). The report provides 15 recommendations in…

Image 11 May , 2023

ASIC Sharpens Focus on Credit and Debt Management

ASIC is warning credit providers and debt management firms that strong, targeted action against predatory lending, high-cost credit and misconduct impacting consumers experiencing financial difficulty is expected in the coming months as part of its continuing focus on protecting consumers.

Image 11 May , 2023

Voice for Consumers Will Strengthen Superannuation

Original media release on 9/05/2023 by Super Consumers Australia (SCA). The Federal Government has strengthened the superannuation system today by ensuringpeople are paid the super they earn, creating fairer super tax concessions and providinglong-term funding to continue an independent superannuation consumer advocate. SuperConsumers Australia has been delivering on this mission for the last five years…

10 May , 2023

Problems Persist but Hold Steady – TIO 3rd Quarterly Report

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman’s (TIO) Quarter Three Complaints Report shows residential consumers and small businesses made 17,777 complaints about phone and internet services between January and March this year. While complaints have remained steady compared to the previous quarter, the results show an almost 19 per cent decrease against the same period last year.

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Pet Food for Cats and Dogs – Have Your Say

We are now estimated to be spending over $33 billion annually to keep our pets fed, healthy and well-accessorised. Food represents 51% of all expenditure, around 89% of this total is on dogs and cats according to the AMA 2022 report Pets in Australia: A national survey of pets and people. Standards Australia has released…

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National Volunteer Week 15-21 May 2023: The Change Makers

National Volunteer Week (NVW) is Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering and a chance for all of us to celebrate and recognise the vital work of volunteers. The theme for this year is The Change Makers, a celebration of our power to drive change and ensure volunteering is inclusive of all members of the Australian…

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Privacy Week 1-7 May 2023: Back to Basics

Original media release 1/05/2023 from Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Privacy regulators from across Australia have issued a joint statement to mark the start of Privacy Awareness Week 2023 (1 to 7 May). For Privacy Awareness Week, privacy authorities from around Australia are joining together to call for people, organisations and agencies to get ‘back to basics’…

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Consumers Want (and need) More from Telcos

“Cost of living issues aren’t going away for the foreseeable future, so it’s particularly concerning that over 40% of the Australian adult population are unaware that they can contact their telco provider for help managing their bills. This research shows that it is imperative that financial hardship policies are promoted by telcos and made easily accessible on their websites,”

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Super Payday

Super Consumers Australia welcomes the Federal Government’s announcement that people will now be paid super at the same time as wages. The move will see more money in the pockets of Australians at retirement and help the regulator crack down on wage theft.

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“Some super funds shouldn’t be in the market”

With the release of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority’s (APRA) ‘Choice Heatmap‘ which provides greater performance transparency and scrutiny on various multi-sector Choice investment options, Super Consumers Australia (SCA) released a media statement on 26/04/2023 (below) calling for more transparency and testing while emphasising the specific vulnerability of Australian retirees: “It is appalling that after…

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ACCC Social Media Report Finds Consumers and Small Businesses Require More Protections

The ACCC has highlighted a range of harms to consumers and small businesses occurring across social media services, including excessive data collection practices, lack of effective dispute resolution options, prevalence of scams, lack of transparency for advertisers and inadequate disclosure of sponsored content by influencers and brands.

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Federal Government to Act on Disrupting Illegal Text Message Scams

The Albanese Government has announced its intent to establish an SMS sender ID Registry or SMS Scam registry to help combat the increasingly large number of scam text messages being sent to Australians. From the 23/04/23 media release from the Minister for Communications, Hon Michelle Rowland MP: Almost half of all Australians have been scammed,…