Everyday Consumer Archives - Page 51 of 106 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

2 September , 2019

Consumer Affairs Forum meets to discuss consumer protection and fair trading

On Friday August 30, Commonwealth, State, Territory and New Zealand Ministers responsible for fair trading and consumer protection met to consider recent and future developments in consumer affairs. The meeting included discussion of consumer guarantees, unfair contract terms, ticket reselling, financial consumer protection and Australia’s product safety framework. Below are the main outcomes of the…

30 August , 2019

ACCC recommends greater protection for consumers online

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) last month released the final report of its Digital Platforms Inquiry. The report makes 23 recommendations for reform to the competition law, consumer protection practices, privacy law and media regulation that govern digital platforms. The digital platforms covered by the inquiry are search engines, social media platforms and digital…

13 August , 2019

Record losses expected as scammers target Australians

Australians are set to lose a record amount to scams in 2019, with projections from losses reported to Scamwatch and other government agencies so far expected to exceed $532 million by the end of the year, surpassing half a billion dollars for the first time. This year’s National Scams Awareness Week (12-16 August) theme is “too smart…

8 August , 2019

Humane Farm Animal Care application to register a CTM: invitation to comment

The ACCC is inviting interested parties to comment on the Humane Farm Animal Care’s application to register a certification trademark (CTM) in Australia. The CTM intends to certify that animal derived products bearing the mark have complied with a range of Humane Farm Animal Care’s livestock and poultry welfare standards. The mark bears the words…

5 August , 2019

Investigation finds telemarketers pressuring consumers to sign up to NBN

Threats of being disconnected from phone and internet services, loss of phone numbers, and inaccurate information about NBN plans are issues highlighted in the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman’s latest report: “Misleading telemarketing of NBN services” published Thursday 1 August, 2019. Between January and December 2018, residential consumers and small businesses made 1,729 complaints to the Telecommunications…

31 July , 2019

How to stop paying fees for bills you receive in the mail

Consumer protection regulators are running a national campaign to help consumers avoid paying extra fees to receive bills in the post. People who prefer to receive paper bills are usually seniors, consumers on a low income, or people without internet access, which means that vulnerable consumers end up paying extra just to pay their bills.…

26 July , 2019

Safety review of baby bouncers, rockers and inclined sleep products

The ACCC has begun a safety review of products designed for infants such as bouncers, rockers and inclined sleep products. The market review will be on inclined baby products used for sleeping, where the baby’s head and back are inclined, and may include a harness or belt to secure the baby into the product. The…

17 July , 2019

National Hydrogen Strategy Issues papers – Consultation

The COAG Energy Council Working Group is consulting with industry and community to develop a national hydrogen strategy. Building on earlier engagement, the issues papers are seeking feedback on the potential role of policies and actions in realising hydrogen opportunities. Submissions close 28 July 2019. Issues papers and more details here. A list of the issues papers and a brief…

11 July , 2019

Consumer advocates welcome ASIC intervention in Short Term Credit Market

Financial Rights Legal Centre (Financial Rights), Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) and Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) have welcomed the Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s (ASIC’s) announcement that it will consult on using new Product Intervention Powers to intervene in the short term credit industry. The new product intervention power allows ASIC to intervene where…

26 June , 2019

CFA side event at the Consumers International Congress in Portugal

The CFA sponsored side event on grocery unit pricing at the Consumers International Summit in Portugal on 29 April 2019 was very successful. CFA executive member Ian Jarratt gave a presentation on the history, benefits of, and problems with, the provision of unit pricing of pre-packaged grocery items around the world. Ian also provided a…

17 June , 2019

Unconscionable conduct: Divided High Court confirms need for change to the law

In its response to the High Court finding that a ‘book-up’ credit scheme operated in the remote Aboriginal community of Mintabie in the South Australian APY lands was not unconscionable, Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) says that Australia needs an economy-wide prohibition on unfair trading. “Unconscionable conduct is a complex legal term, and it…

16 May , 2019

National Volunteer Week 2019

Established in 1989, National Volunteer Week (NVW) is the largest celebration of volunteers and volunteerism in Australia and provides an opportunity to highlight the role of volunteers in our community and to say thank you to the more than 6 million Australians who volunteer. Consumers Federation of Australia (CFA) depends on the volunteers who represent…