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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…
Read More Standards for the sharing economy
Commonwealth, State, Territory and New Zealand Ministers responsible for fair trading and consumer protection met in Melbourne on 26 October 2018. The objective of the Legislative and Governance Forum on Consumer Affairs (CAF) is to provide the best and most consistent protection for Australian and New Zealand consumers through its consideration of consumer affairs and…
Read More Meeting of Ministers for Consumer Affairs
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…
Read More Peak consumer group calls on Ministers to fast track priority consumer protections
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The Commonwealth Bank, KitchenAid, Nutri-Grain and Marriott Vacation Club are among the big brands whose bad behavior has earned them a lemon gong at the 13th annual CHOICE Shonkys. “From cots that put our kids’ lives at risk, to a bank that buys its way into our schools and the toaster that leaves your bread…
Read More 2018 Shonkys winners revealed
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Peak older persons advocate, COTA Australia, today welcomed the Royal Commission into aged care for the spotlight it will throw on the challenges facing aged care over the next two decades, but warned it must not delay significant reforms now underway and in the wings to improve safety and quality standards for the 1.3 million…
Read More COTA welcomes Royal Commission into aged care but warns against delaying reforms
ACCC Chair Rod Sims has put telecommunications companies on notice to ensure their advertising is clear and transparent or face court action from the regulator, including much higher penalties and a warning that the ACCC may bring proceedings against executives who knowingly approve misleading advertisements. Earlier this year the ACCC began investigating Optus, Vodafone and…
Read More Telcos on notice about false and misleading advertising
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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…
Read More Don’t be fooled by bogus door to door water testers
The Queensland Consumers Association (QCA) wants the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) to change its proposed new rule in the National Energy Customer Framework (NECF) that will require energy retailers to provide customers with prior notification of price changes for many types of contracts. Although the QCA’s submission to the AEMC supports most of the…
Read More Queensland consumers want changes to proposals for National Energy Consumer Framework
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Grieving families are increasingly being taken advantage of when planning a funeral, with the number of complaints to NSW Fair Trading jumping to record levels. It prompted a warning from Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean, who said consumers should know their rights when choosing a funeral package, to avoid dodgy operators who don’t properly…
Read More Consumer rights extend to the grave
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Submissions by the Queensland Consumers Association and Choice on a recent Discussion Paper on the scope of Australia’s measurement laws, want the current review, and future laws, to: Be more driven by the needs of consumers and society in general and to not be excessively focused on measurement for economic activity and the needs of…
Read More Measurement Law Review should take more account of consumer needs
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The following is an excerpt from an article contributed by John Furbank and Dr Clinton Weeks Many Australian consumers are familiar with and regularly use unit pricing. In Australia Unit Pricing Regulations came into effect in July 2009. However, some unit prices are not easy to read and in other counties there is no unit pricing…
Read More ISO Unit Pricing Committee Meet in Japan
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On 14 June 2018, Standards Australia’s draft AS/NZS 4474:2018 Household refrigerating appliances – Energy labelling and minimum energy performance standards requirements standard was published for public comment. This standard embodies several years of work by members of the EL-059 Committee that includes E3 Program representatives and other key stakeholders. Once implemented, this standard will bring into effect…
Read More Public comment invited on new refrigeration appliance standard
