Everyday Consumer Archives - Page 46 of 106 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

13 February , 2020

Inclined sleepers: A tragedy waiting to happen in our homes

CHOICE is calling on the government to introduce tighter product safety laws, following an alarming number of infant deaths linked to inclined sleepers in the US. CHOICE experts say that based on research conducted in the US, inclined sleepers are so dangerous for young babies that they should be completely avoided. Two inclined sleeping products…

12 February , 2020

US and EU laws show Australia’s Right to Repair moment is well overdue

Australians are buying more and more gadgets and devices. Our homes and workplaces seem to be filled with smart phones, drones, Fitbits, internet- connected fridges, air-conditioners that turn off when people leave the room: anything that makes our lives more convenient. Behind the scenes, of course, is a growing pile of discarded, broken devices. The…

12 February , 2020

Are you paying for junk insurance in your super?

Casual and part-time workers, people out of work and people in ‘hazardous’ jobs often face the activities of daily living (ADL) test if they make a total and permanent disability claim. This effectively makes the TPD insurance in their super junk. More than 12 million Australians have total and permanent disability (TPD) insurance through their…

12 February , 2020

Summer, standards and how they relate to you

The Australian Summer is an iconic part of the Aussie lifestyle but did you know that some of our favourite summer pastimes include a range of standards designed to keep us safe? They affect everything from the fans keeping you cool to your coolest pair of sunnies, read more here. Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) regularly seeks…

6 February , 2020

Consumer advocates welcome Act implementing three key Banking Royal Commission recommendations

Today the Government passed the first omnibus bill in the wake of the Banking Royal Commission, which consumer advocates say will help address long-standing problems with unfair insurance contracts, funeral expenses policies and mortgage broking. The Financial Sector Reform (Hayne Royal Commission Response—Protecting Consumers (2019 Measures) Act 2019 will address recommendations 4.7, 1.2 and 4.2…

5 February , 2020

Tackling ageism through Standards

Age discrimination can creep up on you. Ageism is stereotyping, discrimination or mistreatment based solely upon age. It comes from negative attitudes and beliefs about what it means to be older. Ageism is pervasive and can have profound negative consequences on older adults’ health and wellbeing. We need to act now to improve the lives…

5 February , 2020

More than 250,000 vehicles with defective Takata airbags remaining for replacement

About 3.56 million defective Takata airbags have now been replaced as part of the compulsory recall, but more than seven percent remain outstanding and the ACCC is urging consumers not to ignore or delay responding to recall notices. Figures released on Friday show about 3.56 million airbags in 2.59 million vehicles were rectified as at…

30 January , 2020

Previous CFA Executive Director Jenni Mack awarded a Member of the Order of Australia

Previous Executive Director of Consumers’ Federation Australia Jenni Mack was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day Honours for her service to consumer advocacy. CFA is thrilled by the fantastic recognition of Jenni’s long-running contribution to consumer advocacy and the welfare of Australians. Jenni was Executive Director of the…

29 January , 2020

Who is protecting your information on the internet?

The recent ABC article titled How safe are GPS trackers for children – and what should I know before buying one? raises concerns about the ethics of technological surveillance and asks, ‘are we being sucked in by their convenience?’ When we digitise information or upload it to the internet, we run the risk of having that information…

22 January , 2020

Honda and Mitsubishi recall 42,000 cars due to serious airbag safety risk

ACCC Media Release 3/20: Honda and Mitsubishi have commenced voluntary recalls for vehicles manufactured between 1996 and 2000 due to a serious safety concern relating to faulty airbags. These vehicles may have been fitted with potentially deadly Takata NADI 5-AT airbags. There is a risk these airbags may misdeploy in an accident and cause metal…

22 January , 2020

Proposed battery recycling scheme to combat waste

Battery waste is a growing problem in Australia; in 2014 it was estimated that Australia was generating 17,500 tonnes of waste in batteries, or 700 million batteries based on an equivalent battery unit. 97% of all batteries were being inappropriately disposed of in landfill and impacting on the environment. It is proposed that an industry-led…

20 December , 2019

ACMA reveals top 5 most reported phone scams for 2019

The Australian Media and Communications Authority (ACMA) has today released a list of the top five phone scams most commonly reported to the agency in a bid to raise people’s awareness of scams during the Christmas period. NBN impersonations were revealed as by far the most reported scam for 2019, followed by scammers pretending to…