Consumer protection Archives - Page 33 of 38 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

17 December , 2018

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

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…

1 December , 2018

First National Framework to help reduce harm from online wagering

All Australian governments are now formally committed to the country’s first National Consumer Protection Framework to ensure greater protection for people participating in online wagering. Federal Minister for Families and Social Services, Paul Fletcher, said the National Consumer Protection Framework for online wagering provides 10 strong, nationally consistent minimum protections for consumers of Australian interactive wagering services. “The National…

9 November , 2018

Proposed fees for gift card users

Gift card users may be unfairly penalised for querying charges if proposed regulations go ahead. The Federal Government is consulting on draft legislation which would permit the charging of post-supply fees and fees for disputing transactions. CFA supports the submission made by member organisation, the Queensland Consumers’ Association (QCA), calling for disputed card fees or charges…

8 November , 2018

Consumers call on Aldi to improve shelf labels

The Queensland Consumers Association is calling on Aldi to made the unit prices on its supermarket “new look” shelf labels much more prominent and legible. Association spokesperson, Ian Jarratt, says the unit prices on the new labels being widely introduced are much less easy for consumers to notice and read than those on the old…

3 November , 2018

Standards for the sharing economy

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…

26 October , 2018

Minister for Better Regulation announces business reforms

Consumers and small business owners around the State will save more than half a billion dollars over 10 years thanks to the NSW Coalition’s sweeping Better Business Reforms. The package of reforms, which passed Parliament this week, includes significant red tape reductions for small businesses and better transparency measures for consumers. Minister for Better Regulation…

25 October , 2018

Peak consumer group calls on Ministers to fast track priority consumer protections

Ahead of this Friday’s meeting of Ministers for consumer affairs, the Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) has urged faster progress on updating the Australian Consumer Law. Chairperson of the CFA Gerard Brody said that consumers have been waiting too long for vital reforms to laws on product safety, refund rights and unsolicited selling “The Final…

20 October , 2018

ACCC & ASIC given stronger powers over unfair contract terms

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) will have investigative powers to assess whether a term in a standard form contract may be unfair, thanks to measures passed in the Parliament by the Coalition Government yesterday. This means the regulators will have stronger powers to ensure consumers…

17 October , 2018

Access to Justice for International Tourists

The following is an excerpt from a report by Professor Michelle Kelly-Louw, President of the International Association of Consumer Law. The International Association of Consumer Law’s (IACL’s) 16th conference, entitled “Economic Development and Consumer Law” was held at the Faculty of Law of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in 2017. One of the topics…

10 October , 2018

Coming clean on kickbacks with better business reforms

Businesses that make product and service recommendations will be forced to come clean on commissions, referral fees and kickbacks under new Better Business Reforms. Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation Matt Kean said it would put buying power back in the hands of consumers and small businesses. “Consumers are increasingly relying on referrals from third…

31 August , 2018

Don’t be fooled by bogus door to door water testers

Perth home owners are being warned about bogus door to door water testers who give the impression that they are from the Government, but are really sellers of water filtration systems. Several reports have been received about the door knockers, some in high-vis vests, who tell householders they are testing water quality in the area…

29 August , 2018

Consumers International response to G20 digital ministers statement

Consumers International welcomes the G20’s continued recognition of the importance of consumer trust in securing the future growth of the digital economy and their support for developing effective online consumer protection and empowerment with a particular emphasis on disadvantaged and vulnerable consumers including children. The work of the G20 helps to raise awareness of new…