Consumer protection Archives - Page 22 of 38 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

28 June , 2022

Businesses on notice as mandatory button battery laws commence

Businesses which supply button batteries or products powered by them must now comply with mandatory button battery safety and information standards taking effect from today or face serious penalties, the ACCC warns. This is a media release from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission. It was originally published on 22nd June, 2022. “These world-first standards are a critical…

14 June , 2022

“Volatile, complex and high-risk”: CHOICE calls for stronger crypto consumer protections

Consumer group CHOICE has released new data from a nationally representative survey of consumers that shows more than 1 in 9 Australians (12%) have purchased crypto such as Bitcoin or Ethereum in the past 12 months. This is a media release from CHOICE. It was originally published on 31st May, 2022. Read a longer CHOICE article on cryptocurrency.…

10 June , 2022

New protections needed to stop online designs that hurt consumers

Consumer think tank, the Consumer Policy Research Centre, today released research that found 83% of Australians have been negatively impacted by a website or app using harmful design features, known as dark patterns. This is a media release from the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC). It was originally published on 8th June, 2022. In its report, Duped by Design,…

20 May , 2022

ACCC seeking to reduce toppling furniture dangers

The ACCC is seeking feedback about ways to reduce the dangers posed by toppling furniture, which has killed at least 28 people in Australia since 2000 and causes close to 20 injuries every week. This is a media release from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). It was originally published on 13th May, 2022. A consultation paper published today,…

5 May , 2022

Qantas’s flight credits policy is “unfair and unworkable”: CHOICE

Australian travellers are growing increasingly frustrated with Qantas as restrictions ease across the country and travel begins again. This is a media release from CHOICE. It was originally published on 12th April, 2022. CHOICE spokesperson, Dean Price, said that Qantas was placing unreasonable barriers in the way of travellers trying to redeem their credits or get a refund.…

5 May , 2022

Insurers are failing consumers with shoddy data practices

The insurance industry could be relying on erroneous or misleading information concerning consumers and their claims history when quoting, assessing new claims or setting premiums, a damning report commissioned by Financial Rights has found. This is a media release from the Financial Rights Legal Centre. It was originally published on 22nd April, 2022. The report Privacy Practices in General…

5 May , 2022

ACCC says consumers need more choices about what online marketplaces are doing with their data

Consumers using online retail marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon “have little effective choice in the amount of data they share”, according to the latest report of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) Digital Platform Services Inquiry. This is an article from Katharine Kemp at The Conversation. It was originally published on 2nd May, 2022. Consumers may benefit…

12 April , 2022

Consumer Guarantees – reimaging redress for consumers

Consumer groups welcomed the consultation on improving the effectiveness of the consumer guarantee and supplier indemnification provisions under the Australian Consumer Law. Ideally, under the Australian Consumer Law, products and services come with a guarantee that they are of acceptable quality, safe with no faults and fit-for-purpose. And when these are not met, consumers are…

15 March , 2022

New digital platform rules crucial next step in consumer law reform

The development of new upfront rules that force dominant digital platforms to treat their users fairly is the important next step in reforming Australia’s consumer protection laws, ACCC Chair Rod Sims said today. This is a media release from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). It was originally published on 15th March, 2022. Delivering the 2022 Ruby…

14 March , 2022

Consumer Policy Agenda 2022 launched ahead of Federal Election

The Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) has launched its Consumer Policy Agenda 2022. CFA is calling for new consumer policy reforms to be urgently implemented to put consumers in the economy recovery. Competition in key markets is flailing, consumer protections are falling behind best practice, and our institutional arrangements for consumer protection are not supporting…

31 January , 2022

Average Australian must consent to 467,000 words worth of privacy policies: CHOICE calls for Privacy Act reform to make businesses responsible for using data safely and fairly

Consumer advocacy group CHOICE is marking Data Protection Day with results from a new survey, which has found Australians must typically consent to an average of 116 privacy policies at any one time, amounting to a hefty 467,000 words. This is a media release from CHOICE. It was originally published on 28th January, 2022 “It’s completely unacceptable that…

27 January , 2022

Time to finally end the harm done by Cigno loans

Consumer groups and financial counsellors are urging the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) to act now to put an end to the use of harmful lending models used to charge excessive fees on top of short-term loans. This is a media release from Consumer Action Law Centre (CALC). It was originally published on 24th January, 2022. For over…