Culturally and Linguistically Diverse

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Important advice about how people in Australia can protect themselves from scams is now available online in an additional 17 languages other than English on the National Anti-Scam Centre’s Scamwatch website. The new in-language videos and updated written advice on how to spot and avoid scams will make Scamwatch an even more useful resource for culturally and linguistically…

Read More National Anti-Scam Centre Launches Online Scamwatch Advice in 17 Languages

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Older people are urging a bipartisan approach from the Federal Government and Opposition to urgently introduce a new rights-based Aged Care Act. Organisations representing older Australians and their carers say the Aged Care Act needs to be introduced into Federal Parliament this sitting fortnight if laws are to be passed this year that address the…

Read More “Stop dithering on older people’s rights” – Self-Advocates Urge MPs to Act Now on Aged Care Reform

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The Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) has just released a new research report Let me out – Subscription trap practices in Australia (published August 2024, written by Chandni Gupta, with thanks to CHOICE and Swetha Meenal Ananthapadmanaban) detailing harmful subscription trap practices in Australia and their affect on consumers. Additionally, the report explains best practices…

Read More New Report on Subscription Traps in Australia and Best Practices Going Forward

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The ACCC response to the latest draft of the Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code validates long-held consumer concerns about the suitability of self-regulation to protect telecommunications consumers. The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) welcomes and supports the comments of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on the May 20 draft of the TCP…

Read More Advocates Argue for Direct Regulation of Communication as an Essential Service

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A new independent report released by the Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research at the University of Melbourne reveals that just over 35 percent of Australians have a concession card, yet only one third of them are aware they may be eligible for energy concessions on their bills. The report surveyed 3187 respondents, 1154…

Read More Majority of Concessioners Not Aware of Energy Bill Concessions

A study of local economic abuse in First Nations communities with special focus on Australia and Canada June 2024 Jerry Buckland Canadian Mennonite University Winnipeg, Manitoba Carmen Daniels Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network Cairns, Queensland ICAN

Today, ICAN releases its literature review: A study of local economic abuse in First Nations communities with a special focus on Australia and Canada. The study was undertaken by Professor Jerry Buckland from the Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) and Carmen Daniels, Research Manager at ICAN. ICAN’s purpose in undertaking the research, was to review the literature…

Read More ICAN Releases Literature Review on Economic Abuse in First Nations Communities

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The SafeAge Project is a 3-year collaborative academic research project funded by theAustralian Research Council. The project aims to generate contemporary knowledge of the roleof consumer products in injuries and deaths for older Australians. This knowledge benefits: Context:There are significant consequences of unsafe consumer products on population health. Whilstthe government estimates there are around 780…

Read More Consumer Representative Opportunity – SafeAge Project

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Researchers from Deakin University and the Victorian University of Wellington are conducting an Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) funded project and are looking for participants. The goal of the project is to understand how ‘communication’ is understood by diverse consumers, with the view to better inform the regulation of digital communications technologies. Participation will…

Read More Consumer Research on Defining Communication

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The National Anti-Scam Centre’s collaborative efforts across government, law enforcement, consumer organisations and industry have boosted the community’s fight against financial crime, as the latest Targeting Scams report reveals a 13.1 per cent decline in reported losses to $2.74 billion in 2023. The report compiles data reported to Scamwatch, ReportCyber, the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange (AFCX), IDCARE…

Read More Scam Losses Fall But A Long Road Ahead

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A new report released today has found improvements are needed to the quality of advice and supports, and to the service provided by retailers and other energy service providers, or culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) consumers risk being left behind in the energy transition. The joint Insights Report by Energy Consumers Australia (ECA) and Sydney Community Forum (SCF) is…

Read More CALD Communities in need of urgent supports for energy transition

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First Nations and other consumer advocates have welcomed the extension of ASIC’s interim Stop Order on Coral Coast Distributors (Cairns) Ptd Ltd trading as Urban Rampage (Urban Rampage) retail stores, where customers enter agreements to pay for goods on credit through Centrepay deductions. The original stop order was imposed because ASIC received complaints about Urban…

Read More Continued Ban of Business Centrepay Use in Remote Australia Welcomed as Advocates Call for Broader Centrepay Reform