Consumer protection Archives - Page 3 of 37 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

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,…

4 February , 2025

Cybersecurity – Safeguarding Australia’s future

Criminals commit cybercrime by using a computer or online network to target victims. Anyone can be a victim of cybercrime, from individuals and businesses to government, with far reaching consequences. On average, a new cybercrime incident is reported in Australia every six minutes. Ransomware alone results in up to $3 billion in annual damages to the Australian…

15 January , 2025

Joint Submission Urges Law Reform and Mandatory Industry Action

This is a joint submission made on behalf of:• Consumer Action Law Centre• CHOICE• The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network• Financial Rights Legal Centre• Super Consumers Australia• Financial Counselling Australia• Westjustice• Consumer Credit Legal Service WA Our organisations are pleased to have the opportunity to provide our feedback to the Senate Economics Legislation Committee. We…

6 January , 2025

Aviation Charter of Rights needs more to take off: CHOICE

CHOICE responds to the Federal Government’s announcement releasing the draft Aviation Customer Rights Charter for public consultation. Quotes attributable to Rosie Thomas, Director of Campaigns at CHOICE: “CHOICE welcomes the release of a proposed Aviation Customer Rights Charter. The announcement is an important step towards giving consumers clear rights when flights don’t go to plan.”…

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…

16 December , 2024

Consumer Affairs Ministers Set 2025 Agenda, Consumer Protection to remain at the forefront

Commonwealth, State, Territory and New Zealand Consumer Affairs Ministers met on Tuesday 10 December 2024 to renew their commitment to strengthen consumer protections across the country. Ministers attending the meeting, chaired by Commonwealth Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones, acknowledged the substantial progress on key reforms to the Australian Consumer Law over the past year, including work to strengthen…

26 November , 2024

Child-Resistant Packaging – Draft Standard Open for Public Comment

Child-resistant packaging is used to create a physical barrier between a child and a potentially hazardous product. Various types of packaging are recognized as being child-resistant, based on performance testing against standards for specific product categories and packaging types. Since this type of packaging was introduced, the incidence of accidental ingestion of potentially hazardous products…

20 November , 2024

Consultations Open on Proposed Unfair Trading Prohibitions

Building on an earlier consultation regarding the extent and nature of unfair trading practices in Australia, the Federal Government is seeking feedback on the proposed design of both general and specific prohibitions on unfair practices. Currently proposed changes to the Australian Consumer Law are based on both general in-principal amendments and some specific prohibitions targeting…

11 November , 2024

CFA Supports Call for Action to Protect Children from Unhealthy Food Marketing

In an open letter to Health Ministers, CFA and many other organisations have called for action to protect children from the marketing of unhealthy food by: A copy of the letter is available here

26 October , 2024

Advocates Welcome Flood Inquiry Report, Urge Government to Act Now

Consumer groups have welcomed the release of the Final Report of the Standing Committee on Economics’ Inquiry into Insurer’s responses to 2022 Major Floods. The groups have called on the insurance sector and the Insurance Council of Australia to accept all the recommendations and implement changes to their internal processes and the Code of Practice…

22 October , 2024

Consultation Opens on ‘Phase Two’ of Online Safety Codes

Following the Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth.), industry associations have been tasked with developing codes of practice to protect Australians from a number of materials online. The draft codes for phase two, covering Classes 1C and 2 materials, have now been released and are available for public comment here. Consultation will be open from October…

17 October , 2024

Children’s safety in the metaverse – Draft standard open for Public Comment

The metaverse is a collective virtual shared space, where you can socialise, collaborate, learn, and play with others across different digital worlds. The metaverse may offer new opportunities for creativity, education, entertainment, and commerce, but there are also new challenges where metaverse technologies can have a significant impact on young users’ mental health and well-being. Children…