Consumer protection

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Australia’s peak communications consumer body, ACCAN, has welcomed news that Optus will pay one of the largest consumer law penalties in Australian history – a $100 million fine, subject to court approval, for unconscionable conduct. ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett said, “Unconscionable conduct is a high bar and one that Optus has spectacularly surpassed in its behaviour…

Read More Optus Admits to Unconscionable Conduct, Advocates Welcome ACCC Action but Highlight Need for Strong Telco Regulation

Bronze Justice statue

Consumer Action Law Centre CEO, Stephanie Tonkin says she is thrilled by the decision of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to launch a detailed review into the national impact and harms of unsolicited selling, consultation which opens today. “This decision by our national, economy-wide regulator shows the dynamic power of the ‘designated complaint’ super-complaint…

Read More Advocates Welcome ACCC Review into Unsolicited Selling

Law Cases

Online services platform Mable Technologies Pty Ltd (Mable) has admitted to breaching the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) by using unfair contract terms when connecting people seeking care support to independent support workers. Support services facilitated through Mable include social support, domestic support, nursing services and allied health services. Clients using the platform include participants on…

Read More Mable admits unfair contract terms a breach of consumer law

feedback

Vulnerability can affect anyone at any time particularly if the consumer is faced with an unexpected change of circumstance or a particularly urgent or complex situation and information is not transparent and accessible. Standards Australia has released a new draft standard which specifies requirements and guidelines for organizations on how to design and deliver fair,…

Read More Consumer vulnerability – New standard open for public comment

Webinar MADE TO MANIPULATE 3 June 2025

The Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) will be hosting a webinar on June 3rd at 4:30pm to 5:30pm AEST, to register for the event follow the directions here. From CPRC’s Events page: Is your online “freedom of choice” just an illusion? Every day, websites and apps deploy sophisticated design traps that manipulate your decisions without…

Read More Webinar: Made to Manipulate – A Global Tour of Dark Patterns

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Australian fast-food franchise Hungry Jack’s Pty Ltd has paid penalties totalling $150,240 after the ACCC issued it with eight infringement notices for alleged breaches of the Australian Consumer Law by failing to comply with the mandatory button battery information standard. The infringement notices relate to a Garfield toy powered by button batteries that was supplied…

Read More Infringement notices issued for button battery information standard breaches

HOME SAFETY

Furniture suppliers are now required to provide safety warnings to consumers about the dangers of toppling furniture after the mandatory information standard for toppling furniture came into effect on 4 May 2025. Since the year 2000 at least 28 people, including 17 children under five, have died in Australia from toppling furniture and televisions. Each year more…

Read More Mandatory information standard for toppling furniture now in affect

Salespeople Do Not Knock Leave these premises immediately

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…

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

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Preliminary research commissioned by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) raises alarm bells for policymakers and regulators. Findings point to widespread consumer harm and deep mistrust in the telecommunications industry. The polling, conducted as part of the first tranche of ACCAN’s consumer sentiment research, highlights troubling experiences of telco behaviour and unmet expectations. “Given…

Read More Research highlights consumer distrust in broken telco system

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Today [12/03/2025], CHOICE is releasing its submission to the Federal Government’s consultation on the draft Aviation Customer Rights Charter (the Charter). While the draft Charter represents an important step in the right direction, it needs more work to give consumers clear, comprehensive and strong rights when flights don’t go to plan. “The draft Charter may…

Read More Draft for the new Aviation Customer Rights Charter may be weaker than the consumer law

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The ACCC has marked a further milestone in the transition steps towards the new merger regime with the release of the draft merger assessment guidelines for consultation. The merger assessment guidelines outline the analytical framework the ACCC will apply when assessing notified acquisitions under the new regime, reflecting best practice for competition assessments.  While the new regime…

Read More ACCC opens consultation on assessment guidelines for merger reform

Regulations

The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) recently released the Review of the AER and draft exemption policies for energy networks, retailers, and for customers who may be affected by family violence (based on the advice of Safe and Equal). To view the documents themselves, or for more background into the review, please read the original on…

Read More Energy regulator requests stakeholder submissions after draft and review release