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A follow-up inquiry into consumer credit insurance (CCI) has shown that, while customer owned banking institutions have stopped selling add-on CCI, they still have a duty to their customers when it comes to managing loans with active policies and providing referrals to insurance providers. The independent committee that monitors the Customer Owned Banking Code of…

Read More Customer Owned Banking Code Compliance Committee report shows consumer credit insurance obligations are ongoing

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The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) today released five compliance and enforcement priorities for 2021-22, which include a major focus on protecting energy consumers. This is an Australian Energy Regulator (AER) media release, originally published on 23rd June, 2021. AER Chair Clare Savage said the AER will be monitoring retailers to ensure they identify residential consumers in…

Read More AER’s 2021-2022 compliance and enforcement priorities: Consumer protection

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A draft report by the Productivity Commission on a ‘right to repair’ outlines some measures governments could take to assist consumers to get their products repaired. Written submissions or brief comments must be made by Friday 23 July 2021. The Commission is also holding public hearings using a video and teleconferencing service, with the option…

Read More Draft Report on “Right to Repair” Released for Comment

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The Consumers’ Federation of Australia is delighted to congratulate consumer advocates Susan Fraser and David Niven on being awarded Medals of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. Sue Fraser leads Uniting’s (formerly Kildonan) Enterprise Partnerships team consulting to the banking, debt collection, utilities and telecommunications sectors, enabling positive financial outcomes for…

Read More Queens Birthday Honours for Consumer Advocates

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The ACCC welcomes legislative changes which will increase competition and choice for consumers about where they have their cars serviced and repaired. These changes adopt recommendations from the ACCC’s new car retailing industry market study. This is an Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) media release, originally published on 18th June, 2021. The Competition and Consumer Amendment…

Read More ACCC welcomes new law on motor vehicle service and repair information

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Last year scammers stole close to $34 million collectively from people who identified as culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD), people with disability, and Indigenous Australians. This is an Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) media release, originally published on 10th June, 2021. Figures from the ACCC’s latest Targeting Scams report released earlier this week shows losses to the…

Read More Culturally and linguistically diverse community lose $22 million to scams in 2020, reports from Indigenous Australians up by 25 per cent

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CFA has joined with serval public health and consumer organisations in calling for the Australian Government to prioritise the health of Australians and New Zealanders as they consider reforms to redesign the food regulatory system for Australia and New Zealand. The joint statement says the current review of the system: Will set the foundation for…

Read More Public health and consumer organisations call for food regulatory reform to put the health of Australians and New Zealanders first

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Australians lost over $851 million to scams in 2020, a record amount, as scammers took advantage of the pandemic to con unsuspecting people, according to the ACCC’s latest Targeting Scams report released today. The report compiles data from Scamwatch, ReportCyber, other government agencies and 10 banks and financial intermediaries, and is based on more than 444,000 reports.…

Read More Scammers capitalise on pandemic as Australians lose record $851 million to scams

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The Morrison Government is supporting businesses to innovate, grow and minimise compliance costs while maintaining stringent safety standards for consumer products and related services. The Government in consultation with Consumer Ministers will look to develop amendments to the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) and associated legislation which would allow the adoption of trusted overseas product safety…

Read More Adopting Trusted Overseas Product Safety Standards

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Electricity is something we all use every day and take for granted. But according to Safe Work Australia risk of death or injury from electricity is strongly linked to where and how it is used. Consumers Federation of Australia (CFA) supports representatives to Standards Australia Technical Committees working on the development of electrical energy standards and ensuring the consumer…

Read More Safety and electricity

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The United Nations encourages worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) has identified the environmental impact of services and products as a priority for participation on Standards Australia Technical Committees as part of the CFA Standards Project.  CFA representatives are involved in standards development on Biodiversity and other environmental issues such as  Environmental Management,…

Read More World Environment Day – 5th June 2021