consumer advocacy Archives - Page 3 of 10 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

14 April , 2025

Unsolicited door-to-door sales the target of Australia’s first Designated Complaint

Consumer Action Law Centre is calling for a nationwide ban on unsolicited selling in the first ever designated ‘super’ complaint presented to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). A designated complaint is a new power that allows complainants to raise an issue with the ACCC, which the ACCC is required to consider and come back with…

17 March , 2025

Time to scrap ‘consumer protection’ rules that don’t protect consumers

Australia’s peak communications consumer body, ACCAN, has today called for the weak and ineffective industry-drafted Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code to be scrapped in favour of robust and enforceable industry standards that better protect Australian consumers. Communications are an essential service – yet the rules which exist to protect communications consumers are failing in their…

14 March , 2025

Review: Insurance Brokers Code of Practice

The 2022 Insurance Brokers Code of Practice (the Code) is currently under review. The National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA) is actively seeking engagement with the review from the consumer sector and has provided the Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) with funding to support the consultation. The Independent Reviewer, Phil Khoury (CKR Consulting), is examining several…

5 February , 2025 0 comments

Consumers’ Federation of Australia on life-support, urges government action to protect consumers during cost-of-living crisis

The Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) urgently calls on the Australian government to fund its work as the peak body for consumers in the forthcoming budget. For over 50 years, Consumers’ Federation of Australia has been a vital safeguard against corporate misconduct, ensuring fair treatment and protections for consumers. The peak body for consumer organisations,…

5 February , 2025

Consumer representative wanted for the Car Rental Code Compliance Committee

The Australian Finance Industry Association (AFIA) is looking for a new member to join their Car Rental Code Compliance Committee (CCC) as a consumer representative. This is a particularly important consumer representative opportunity as the AFIA Car Rental Code of Practice has recently been comprehensively updated and will be applicable from April 1st of this…

16 December , 2024

Win for Consumers and Advocates as ASIC Sues HSBC Australia, Alleges “widespread and systemic” failings

HSBC Bank Australia Limited (HSBC Australia) failed to adequately protect customers scammed out of millions of dollars, according to documents filed by ASIC in the Federal Court today. ASIC alleges HSBC Australia failed to have adequate controls in place to prevent and detect unauthorised payments and failed to comply with its obligations to investigate customer…

10 December , 2024

Australian Consumers Now Have a Voice at the NBN Table

Consumers will now have a voice at the table to determine how the NBN can better serve the needs of communities around Australia thanks to a $2.56 million funding grant from the Australian Government to the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN). As the peak communications consumer body, ACCAN’s new funding will allow it to…

3 December , 2024

Banking Code Compliance Committee 2025-26 Priorities Consultation

The Banking Code Compliance Committee (BCCC) is developing their priorities for 2025-26 and is inviting interested parties to complete a short survey to share “new or emerging risks, issues or practices that you believe are concerns and causing harm to consumers or leading to poor outcomes”. The survey is open from 2/12/2024 to 7/02/2025 and survey…

3 December , 2024

New Centrepay Reform Bans Predatory Rent-to-Buy’s in Win for Consumers and Advocates

Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Stephanie Tonkin said she was absolutely delighted that Minister Bill Shorten has announced consumer protections and reforms to Centrepay that restore it to its original purpose; that it should only be used by consumers to make regular voluntary payments for essential bills and expenses. (link to media release) “We have…

6 November , 2024

Public Hearings for Supermarket Inquiry to be Livestreamed

The ACCC will conduct a series of public hearings from 7 to 22 November as part of its ongoing Supermarkets Inquiry. The public hearings will be livestreamed via the ACCC website and will be an opportunity for the ACCC to gain a more complete understanding of the key issues in the retail grocery sector and its…

20 September , 2024

Calls Continue for Consumer Regulators to Release Data

The majority of Australia’s consumer regulators are missing the opportunity to act as an early warning system for dodgy businesses, according to new research from the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC). The Am I The Only One? report, released today, finds that most Australian consumer regulators do not publish regular complaints data in an accessible…

18 September , 2024

Consumer Groups Call on NIAA to Strengthen Remote Food Security Strategy

Mandatory code of practice, subsidies for food transportation and increased income support needed A coalition of consumer and indigenous groups is calling on the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) to better protect vulnerable residents in remote areas. The organisations have welcomed the proposed National Strategy for Food Security in Remote First Nations Communities, but they…