Communications

Gerard Brody, Chair, Consumers' Federation of Australia: "There's a real value to consumer organisations. As consumer advocates, we see what's going on and we're able to present to government not only the problems, but also the experience, the insights, the connections and the research to help them with solutions."

False information, widespread political change, budgetary cuts. These are just some of mounting issues facing civil society in 2024 at a time when the role they play is needed more than ever. Next week, Consumers International joins discussions at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) to discuss the role of consumer organisations, the value…

Read More Consumers International Speaks With Intergovernmental Group of Experts for Consumer Protection Law and Policy

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The ACCC has released its final report outlining the findings of its inquiry into whether the domestic mobile terminating access service should continue to be regulated. Access to telecommunications services in Australia is usually unregulated unless the services are declared. In deciding whether to declare a service, the ACCC must be satisfied that declaration will…

Read More ACCC Releases Final Report on Regulation of Mobile Terminating Access Service

Fraud Alert

Consumers are being warned to beware of anyone instructing them to download software or an app over the phone, following a recent rise in reported losses to remote access scams. Australians reported losing $15.5 million to remote access scams in 2023. Reported losses to remote access scams in the first quarter of 2024 increased by…

Read More Scammers Claiming to Fix Technical Issues in ‘Remote Access Scams’

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The industry codes will start with banks, telcos, social media, digital messaging and search advertising services, and will require these groups to have measures in place to prevent, detect, disrupt, respond and report scams.

This will be complemented by strong regulator enforcement action, penalties for non?compliance, and victim compensation where wrongdoing occurs.

Read More Albanese Government to Introduce Mandatory Anti-Scam Industry Codes

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Consumers generate data in almost all aspects of their lives as many activities that were once anonymous are now subject to detailed data collection, such as restaurants that require customers to order via a QR code and input personal details. The latest Digital Platform Services Inquiry report published today, highlights that consumers are generally unaware how much…

Read More Latest ACCC report finds consumers lack visibility and choice over data collection practices

Knowledge is Power

The free ‘Introduction to Artificial Intelligence’ course provided by CSIRO National AI Centre (NAIC) will cover what AI is, common terminologies, real-world applications of AI, Australian AI case studies, advice from industry experts to start your career in AI, and more. The two-and-a-half-hour course provides a non-technical introduction to AI fundamentals and is designed for…

Read More Free and accessible Artificial Intelligence course

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New research from CHOICE has revealed 4 in 5 CHOICE supporters think it’s unfair for supermarkets to charge higher prices for customers who don’t sign up for loyalty programs.  The survey of over 8,000 CHOICE supporters also found nearly half of respondents were worried about the data being collected about them through loyalty programs. The…

Read More Supermarket Loyalty Programs: The Price Isn’t Right

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The Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program has banned cold call telemarketing starting today (1/05/2024) and will ban doorknocking starting 1 August 2024. Below is a media release from the program. About the bans  The Victorian Government introduced the bans in response to consumer complaints about problematic telemarketing and doorknocking practices under the program. The bans…

Read More Victoria Bans Energy Cold Callers

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Researchers from Deakin University and the Victorian University of Wellington are conducting an Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) funded project and are looking for participants. The goal of the project is to understand how ‘communication’ is understood by diverse consumers, with the view to better inform the regulation of digital communications technologies. Participation will…

Read More Consumer Research on Defining Communication

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Australia’s planned closure of the 3G network will continue with the two biggest 3G network closures and transitions to 4G planned for this June (Telstra) and September (Optus). The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA), an industry association, has a website page dedicated to the 3G closure including a FAQs section and contact details for various…

Read More 3G Network Closure Continues alongside Regional Telecommunications Review

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The National Anti-Scam Centre’s collaborative efforts across government, law enforcement, consumer organisations and industry have boosted the community’s fight against financial crime, as the latest Targeting Scams report reveals a 13.1 per cent decline in reported losses to $2.74 billion in 2023. The report compiles data reported to Scamwatch, ReportCyber, the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange (AFCX), IDCARE…

Read More Scam Losses Fall But A Long Road Ahead