Everyday Consumer Archives - Page 4 of 105 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

20 February , 2025

Beyond the Label: Misleading Marketing for Baby and Toddler Food

As part of their ‘Our Kids are Sweet Enough’ campaign the Food for Health Alliance has recently released a report, Beyond the label: seeing past marketing on baby and toddler foods in Australia. The Beyond the label report highlights the use of misleading marketing tactics on food packaging to lead parents and caregivers to believe…

17 February , 2025

The Small Business Debt Helpline sees a massive increase in case numbers

There has been a 66% increase in the number of cases the Small Business Debt Helpline (SBDH) has dealt with over the past 12 months. In 2024 SBDH financial counsellors had 5,135 cases compared with 3,091 in 2023. Case numbers continue to grow with more than 400 cases in January 2025, that’s 30% more than…

15 February , 2025

Advocates alarmed by last-minute fee increases to BNPL Regulations

Consumer groups welcome BNPL Regulations but sound the alarm over last-minute fee increaseLeading consumer groups have sounded the alarm over a last-minute increase to certain fees under the Federal Government’s proposal to regulate Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL). The BNPL Draft Regulations 2025 will see the introduction of long-overdue consumer protections which will make the…

14 February , 2025

Advocates welcome scam laws, but highlight need for reimbursement

Consumer advocates say the passing of the Scams Prevention Framework (SPF) fills a gaping hole in the law and in time should protect many Australians from falling victim to the scourge of scams. But thousands of future victims -many of whom will lose everything to sophisticated scams- have an uphill battle for redress. “I am…

31 January , 2025

Joint media release from Australian and Philippines authorities as over 5,000 Australians receive text warnings over a romance scam

This is a joint media release between the AFP, National Anti-Scam Centre, Philippines Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission and National Bureau of Investigation Editor’s note: Text message screenshot, images from investigation, and audio grabs from AFP Commander Graeme Marshall are available via Hightail Authorities have texted more than 5000 potential victims in Australia to warn they may…

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…

7 January , 2025

Electricity Inquiry finds no reward for loyalty

The ACCC is urging consumers to shop around or at least to contact their electricity provider to ask if a cheaper electricity plan is available, following a decline in retail electricity prices in 2024 that many households are not currently benefiting from. More than 80 per cent of Australian households in the National Electricity Network…

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.”…

20 December , 2024

Resources for Consumer News, Safety, and Emergency Services

With the end of the year many of us are taking leave, but the consumer world never stops and, especially for product safety purposes (or to make sure the consumer voice is heard in consultations), it can be important to keep an eye out for news. Below are some websites which may have important consumer…

20 December , 2024

Consumers’ Federation of Australia: End of Year Message

2024 has been a busy year for CFA with the departure of longstanding Chair Gerard Brody and Deputy Chair Chandni Gupta. Following Gerard’s resignation, Dr Gareth Downing has taken on the role of Chair, with Gordon Renouf stepping back into the role of Deputy Chair at the recent CFA AGM. We’d like to take this…

19 December , 2024

ACCC Black Friday Sweep Finds Concerning Number of Misleading Claims

The ACCC has conducted a sweep of sales advertising by Australian businesses online and in store and is concerned that a number of claims about the size and scope of discounts may be misleading consumers. This follows consumer reports about a range of concerns during the recent Black Friday sales period about the veracity of…

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…