Consumer Law

A gold statue of lady justice, a woman holding a sword and scales, in front of a blue background A gold statue of lady justice, a woman holding a sword and scales, in front of a blue background

Today the Government passed the first omnibus bill in the wake of the Banking Royal Commission, which consumer advocates say will help address long-standing problems with unfair insurance contracts, funeral expenses policies and mortgage broking.  The Financial Sector Reform (Hayne Royal Commission Response—Protecting Consumers (2019 Measures) Act 2019 will address recommendations 4.7, 1.2 and 4.2…

Read More Consumer advocates welcome Act implementing three key Banking Royal Commission recommendations

Bananas on a supermarket shelf Bananas on a supermarket shelf

Consumer regulators have today released a report on their collaborative efforts in administering the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) over the last twelve months. The report shines a light on some of the key policy, education and enforcement activities undertaken by the members of Consumer Affairs Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) during the 2018-19 financial year,…

Read More Australian Consumer Law collaboration benefits consumers

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In her address, Delia Rickard noted that issues raised by consumer organisations with the ACCC commonly form part of its priorities for compliance and enforcement. Delia noted that consumer groups have recently raised issues such as funeral services, debt collection, product safety and sustainability which will be considered for future priorities. Other trends and issues identified by…

Read More ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard provides address to CFA’s annual general meeting

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In October 2018, Consumer Credit Legal Service WA (CCLSWA) received funding from the Consumer Protection division of the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) for a 12-month law reform project. The project focused on four areas of law and policy that affect Western Australian consumers: Retirement village schemes Motor vehicle industry Australian Consumer Law with…

Read More CCLSWA releases Consumer Protection Report

A laptop keyboard with a shopping trolley picture on a key A laptop keyboard with a shopping trolley picture on a key

Changes to the Australian Consumer Law will clarify prices for people shopping online. From 26 October 2019, businesses must include all charges in the advertised price of goods and services payable by a consumer. This includes charges for pre-selected options.  Currently, a business can advertise a low price; during the buying process, they may add extra…

Read More Businesses to display all charges up front

Cans of food stacked on a shelf in a grocery store Cans of food stacked on a shelf in a grocery store

The Queensland Consumers Association (the ‘Association’) is disappointed with the Federal Government’s decision to merely extend the regulation that requires large supermarkets to provide the unit price for prepackaged grocery products until 1 October 2021, without making any changes. The current regulation, which has been in operation for 10 years, was due to expire on…

Read More Federal Govt’s decision on grocery price labelling disappoints consumers

Law Cases

In its response to the High Court finding that a ‘book-up’ credit scheme operated in the remote Aboriginal community of Mintabie in the South Australian APY lands was not unconscionable, Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) says that Australia needs an economy-wide prohibition on unfair trading. “Unconscionable conduct is a complex legal term, and it…

Read More Unconscionable conduct: Divided High Court confirms need for change to the law

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Consumer Affairs Australia New Zealand (CAANZ) are consulting on the meaning of ‘unsafe’ and ‘reasonable durability’ contained in the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) consumer guarantees. This follows a recommendation of the 2017 Final Report of the Review of the ACL – the review found that the lack of clarity of the meaning of ‘unsafe’ and…

Read More Consultation: Meaning of ‘unsafe’ and ‘reasonable durability’ in Australian Consumer Law

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Following the Review of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) and the Productivity Commission Report into ACL Administration and Enforcement, Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) released a new tool to help consumers monitor the implementation of various recommendations. The tool, to be updated quarterly, will provide information as to progress. The January 2019 update is now available…

Read More January Update: ACL Review Implementation Tracking Calendar

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Jetstar, Tigerair, Qantas and Virgin Australia have committed to ensuring their refund policies and practices comply with their consumer guarantee obligations under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). The ACCC was concerned that each airline had made false or misleading representations on their websites that misled consumers about their rights to refunds and resupply in the…

Read More Jetstar, Tigerair, Qantas and Virgin Australia to fix refund policies

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The sharing economy connects consumers to people who have products or services to sell, hire or lease via an online platform. It includes services such as Airbnb and Uber. An ISO International Workshop Agreement (IWA) aims to provide the foundation on which more standardisation solutions to support the sharing economy can be built. ISO COPOLCO supported the development of…

Read More Standards for the sharing economy