Communications

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First Nations and other consumer advocates have welcomed the extension of ASIC’s interim Stop Order on Coral Coast Distributors (Cairns) Ptd Ltd trading as Urban Rampage (Urban Rampage) retail stores, where customers enter agreements to pay for goods on credit through Centrepay deductions. The original stop order was imposed because ASIC received complaints about Urban…

Read More Continued Ban of Business Centrepay Use in Remote Australia Welcomed as Advocates Call for Broader Centrepay Reform

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The ACCC has released its final report outlining the findings of an inquiry into whether nine wholesale telecommunications services 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 would promote the long-term interests…

Read More ACCC Announces Changes to Wholesale Telecommunications Regulation

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“Industry should be providing consumers with clear information about which devices will and won’t work with Triple Zero and can be relied on to access emergency services. The working group and the major telcos must clearly communicate to consumers how they can identify if their device will work after the 3G shutdown, or whether they need to upgrade their device.”

Read More Industry Working Group Welcomed by Consumers as Deadline for the 3G Network Approaches

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“Significant changes have occurred since the ACCC last examined search services in 2021. We’ve seen new laws introduced overseas that place obligations on so-called gatekeeper search engines and the emergence of new technologies, like generative AI, that have changed the way consumers search for information online and may be impacting the quality of the service they are receiving,”

Read More ACCC to Examine Internet Search Services for Five Year Inquiry

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Original media release by and from the ACCC (12/03/2024). Australians on broadband plans provided by non-NBN fixed-line networks should benefit from more stable pricing and greater competition between retailers, following the ACCC’s decision to make a final wholesale access determination for the declared superfast broadband access service (SBAS). TPG and Uniti Group Limited (Uniti) are the two…

Read More ACCC Broadband Network Wholesale Access Regulations a Win for Consumers and Competition

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Original media release by and from CHOICE (13/03/2024). Big tech responsible for big losses: 249% increase in social media scam losses since 2020 CHOICE calls for strong rules to force digital platforms to rein in scams Consumer group CHOICE is demanding urgent government action to force digital platforms to prevent scam losses, after the National…

Read More Digital Platforms Need to Take Responsibility, CHOICE Urges Government Action

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“This is completely inappropriate,” said Lauren Levin, The Director of Policy and Campaigns at FCA. “It was shown at a time when children would be watching. ‘Set for Life’ is exposing children to a gambling product and we know gambling can be very harmful.”

One of the contestants won a challenge and part of her prize was a ‘Set for Life’ package worth $60,000. The logo was displayed a number of times during show segments and the product was also mentioned on numerous occasions throughout the episode.

Read More FCA Calls for In-Program Gambling Ads to be Removed from Survivor

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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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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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Funded in the 2023 Budget, the Government’s Registry works by creating a controlled list of numbers of registered brand names, and preventing text messages from being sent using registered brand names unless the originating number matches the approved phone number on the Registry.
Feedback from consumers, industry, charities and government services will inform Government decision-making about next steps, including funding models for the finalised scheme.

Read More Stopping SMS Scammers Posing as Legitimate Institutions

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The latest data from the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) reveals that consumers and small businesses made 14,671 complaints between October and December 2023, an increase of 13.4 percent compared to the previous quarter, but a 17.9 percent decrease compared to the same time last year.

Read More Complaints to TIO Increased for the Quarter But the Yearly Decrease Trend Continues