Consumers' Federation of Australia

18 January , 2021

Innovate or perish —Standards Australia publishes standards on innovation management

The COVID-19 epidemic has raised concerns around supply chains and the need for more innovation. So how can organisations be innovative enough in order to deal with an increasingly uncertain world? Standards Australia has recently published three AS ISO standards on Innovation management — about guidance, vocabulary, and tools and methods for innovative partnerships. A Consumers Federation…

18 January , 2021

Fair Trading welcomes new button battery mandatory standards

New mandatory safety and information standards around the supply of button batteries and consumer goods containing them came into effect on 22 December 2020. This is an Office of Fair Trading Qld Media Release Fair Trading Executive Director Brian Bauer said these new mandatory safety and information standards are overdue as too many children are…

18 January , 2021

Phase out of open flued gas space heaters — have your say

Under certain circumstances, open flued gas space heaters pose a risk of releasing unhealthy and sometimes lethal concentrations of carbon monoxide into buildings. Malfunctioning, poorly or infrequently serviced open flued gas space heaters in residential settings have resulted in the deaths of three Victorians since 2010. Your views are being sought on the Regulatory Impact…

22 December , 2020

Australian Consumer Law Year in Review Report 2019-20

Consumer Affairs Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) has published its annual report highlighting the key education, enforcement and policy activities undertaken by the regulators of the ACL in 2019-20. It provides an insight into the work completed by policy officers, educators and regulators to refine and enforce the ACL over the course of the year.…

22 December , 2020

CFA Submission on Consistency of Food Regulation

CFA’s recent submission on a consultation paper prepared by consultants on the Consistency of Food Regulatory Approaches in Australia and New Zealand identified labelling, food medicine, and health claims as the main areas of inconsistency. The submission included the following points: Labelling: The present requirements provide great scope for between jurisdiction inconsistencies in the assessment…

22 December , 2020

Mandatory improvement to button battery safety to save lives

The Morrison Government is delivering on its commitment to improve the safety of button batteries with the introduction of new mandatory safety and information standards to help protect Australian children. This is a media release by the Hon Michael Sukkar MP In Australia three children have died from injuries sustained as a result of swallowing…

21 December , 2020

ABA report confirms credit card funded gambling doesn’t have community support

A new report by the Australian Banking Association (ABA) shows it’s time to immediately ban the use of credit cards for gambling. This is a Financial Counselling Australia Media Release The ABA has released the results of its consultation process about the use of credit cards for gambling. A survey conducted to inform the report…

21 December , 2020

Financial Rights report reveals risks and opportunities in Open Insurance

Financial Rights Legal Centre has released a landmark report on the concept of Open Insurance – the application of the Consumer Data Right to the general insurance industry. This is a Financial Rights Legal Centre Media Release Financial Rights’ Chief Executive Officer Karen Cox said the Open Insurance report by Dr Richard Tooth of Sapere…

21 December , 2020

Public warning: Avoid dodgy furniture removalist – My Moovers

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has issued a public warning to consumers to avoid using a Melbourne-based furniture removalist who operates nationally. This is an OFT Media Release 18 December 2020. Consumers should avoid engaging Ajanvi Pty Ltd, trading as My Moovers and Saka Qld Pty Ltd trading as My Moovers Qld and the…

18 December , 2020

Missing the Mark: EWOV insights on the impact of the Payment Difficulty Framework

When it commenced on 1 January 2019 the Payment Difficulty Framework (PDF) represented a major shift in the Victorian retail energy sector’s response to payment difficulty. This is an EWOV article. Under the PDF, energy retailers have been required to take a much more proactive and tailored approach when assisting financially struggling customers. Almost two…

16 December , 2020

“Nothing more than marketing schemes”: CHOICE on ASIC’s review of school marketing programs

Corporate regulator slams banks’ school marketing schemes as CHOICE calls on State and Territory Education Ministers to ditch Dollarmites. This is a CHOICE Media Release “CHOICE welcomes ASIC’s comprehensive review into school banking programs. This is the first time ever in over a century that these school-based marketing schemes have been reviewed,” says CHOICE CEO…

16 December , 2020

Up to 1.9 million Australians paid debt vultures in the last 12 months: Consumer Action Law Centre

According to a new report released yesterday by Consumer Action Law Centre, approximately 1.4 to 1.9 million Australians have paid for debt management or credit repair services in the last 12 months. These companies are known as ‘debt vultures’ as they often target people in financial hardship with poor quality debt advice and services. This a Consumer…