Consumer protection Archives - Page 36 of 38 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

27 June , 2017

CFA Call on Government to Support World Consumer Rights Day

The Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) have called on the Federal Government to support the recognition of World Consumer Rights Day as an official United Nations Observance. Consumers International (CI) are currently campaigning for the United Nations to recognise the day as an official UN observance, and are working with consumer advocacy groups around the…

21 June , 2017

Prominent Consumer Advocate Fiona Guthrie Awarded Queen’s Birthday Honour

Consumers’ Federation of Australia is delighted to congratulate long-standing CFA member and former Deputy Chair Fiona Guthrie on being awarded Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order for Australia. Fiona was honoured for significant service to the community through social welfare and financial counselling. Fiona is the current CEO of Financial Counselling Australia,…

5 June , 2017

Product Measurement Labelling Laws Under Review

The laws that regulate the way in which measurement is marked on product packaging are under review. The Commonwealth Department of Industry, Innovation and Science is conducting the review as the authority responsible for trade measurement regulation. The National Trade Measurement Regulations 2009 Part 4 describe how the name and address of the manufacturer, as well as the weight of the…

28 April , 2017

Consumer Advocates Respond to ACL Review

Consumer advocates have responded to the Australian Consumer Law Review conducted by Consumer Affairs Australia and New Zealand, noting some great wins for Australian consumers. Consumer Action Law Centre (CALC) CEO Gerard Brody said in a media release that there are some important changes on the horizon. ‘The Final Report proposes to make insurance contracts…

19 April , 2017

ACCAN highlights need for service standards to Joint Standing Committee on NBN

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) appeared before the Joint Standing Committee on the National Broadband Network in Melbourne today to highlight the need for service standards and to present solutions to problems faced by consumers in the NBN rollout. “It is fair to say that for a number of consumers the rollout has…

13 April , 2017

Ending the Ticket Rip-off

Consumer groups launch international survey of ticket resellers to address world-wide rorts CHOICE is leading a coalition of consumer groups in launching an international survey of the ticket resale market to stop consumers being ripped off by the likes of Viagogo, Stubhub and Ticketmaster Resale. “From outrageous ticket price mark-ups of up to 327% to…

28 March , 2017

120 Day Delay Inflicting Greater Payday Pain

Consumer groups call for the Federal Government to take immediate action to protect payday loan and lease borrowers The Consumers Federation of Australia, CHOICE, Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Counselling Australia, Financial Rights Legal Centre, Consumer Credit Legal Service (WA) and Good Shepherd Microfinance are calling for the Federal Government to immediately introduce legislation to better protect borrowers of toxic loans and leases and increase funding to financial counselling…

14 December , 2016

Revised UN Guidelines on Consumer Protection

The United Nations Guidelines on Consumer Protection (UNGCP) have been revised. They were adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December 2015 and launched at the United Nations commission on trade and development in Geneva in October 2016. The UNGCP have previously been administered in concert with competition policy. There is a…

13 December , 2016

Productivity Commission calls for greater investment in consumer advocacy

Australia’s peak consumer body, the Consumers’ Federation of Australia, welcomed a finding from the Productivity Commission that additional public funding be provided to support consumer advocacy. The finding, made in the Commission’s Draft Report on Consumer Law Enforcement and Administration, recognised there is considerable unmet demand from policy makers for input from informed consumer advocates.…

2 September , 2016

Is a banking tribunal really the answer?

Consumers Federation Australia along with the Consumer Action Law Centre, Financial Rights Legal Centre and Financial Counselling Australia have written a letter to the Prime Minister, Minister for Financial Services and the Treasurer in response to announcements of the Federal Government possibly instituting a financial services tribunal. CFA, along with other signed organisations have raised…

25 July , 2016

Productivity Commission launches ACL review: issues paper released

The Productivity Commission has recently launched a study into the enforcement and administration arrangements underpinning the Australian Consumer Law. The study will focus on the effectiveness of the ‘single-law, multiple regulator’ model – a model where the national consumer law is jointly enforced and administered by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and…

7 July , 2016

Defining Consumer Protection in the Digital Age

Robin Simpson, Consumers International’s (CI) Senior Policy Adviser, recently represented CI at the OECD Ministerial Meeting on The digital economy innovation, growth and social prosperity which took place in Cancun, Mexico. He spoke at the Civil Society Forum convened by the OECD Civil Society information Society Advisory Council (CSISAC) and in the main agenda panel…