News Archives - Consumers' Federation of Australia

6 December , 2023

Have Your Say on the Scams Mandatory Industry Code Survey

New mandatory industry codes are being developed by the Australian Government to outline the responsibilities of the private sector in relation to scam activity, with a focus on banks, digital communications platforms, and telecommunications providers. A short survey is also available for members of the public who wish to participate in the consultation process and provide information about their experience with scams, rather than provide a written submission.

You can read the Consultation Paper and how to make submissions here. Submissions are due by 29 January 2024.

5 December , 2023

CPRC and ADM+S Release Latest Green Consumer Report

Below is the introduction for the Consumer Policy Research Centre’s latest report ‘Seeing Green – prevalence of environmental claims on social media‘. The report itself can be found as a free PDF here and CPRC’s brief summary of the report can be found on their website here. “Striving towards improved environmental outcomes is a worthy…

27 November , 2023

Positions Open on Consumers’ Association of South Australia Committee

Are you interested in consumer issues and looking to broaden your volunteering and work experience? The Consumers Association of South Australia is the South Australian voice for consumers, representing consumer interests, encouraging the distribution of information on issues affecting consumers, and providing opportunity for discussion of some of the following issues:

27 November , 2023

Expansion of Digital Platforms Demonstrates “critical need for regulatory reform”

Digital platforms with significant market power can use practices like bundling or tying of products, pre-installation and default settings to limit customer choice or deter innovation from competitors.
“Australians increasingly use digital platforms for work, study and play and can benefit from their wide range of interconnected products and services. While the size and scale of digital platforms alone does not raise concern, there is a risk that this expansion may be driven by a desire from digital platforms to entrench or extend their market power,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.

24 November , 2023

Detours and Roadblocks: CPRC’s Upcoming Faulty Car Webinar

Original text from CPRC’s website (24/11/2023). Date: 27 November 2023Time: 1-2PM AEDTLocation: Online Faulty cars are far too common and disrupt far too many lives. A faulty car is far more than just a daily inconvenience, they can disrupt lives and pose serious challenges for people nationwide when trying to resolve the problem. CPRC’s research…

10 November , 2023

Consumers’ Federation of Australia 2023 Annual General Meeting

The Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) will soon be hosting its Annual General Meeting (AGM) for 2023 on Tuesday 28th November. The AGM will held be online from 1:00pm-2:00pm AEDT and all members, consumer representatives, and current and past mentees and mentors are invited.

24 October , 2023

New CFA Strategic Vision for a Thriving Consumer Movement

The Consumers’ Federation of Australia has published its new Strategic Plan 2024. The plan unveils an exciting new vision: a thriving consumer movement that advances the diverse interests of consumers. As the peak body for the consumer movement, CFA’s purpose is to enable our members to connect and be more impactful. The new plan identified…

13 October , 2023

‘Not harmless fun’ – Advocates Call for Credit Card Ban to Extend to Scratchies and Lottery Tickets

“If lotteries get this carve-out and people can use credit cards, it will be the thin edge of the wedge. They will then get carve-outs from future advertising and inducement reforms. We’ll regret this mistake when lotteries are advertised day and night and people increasingly spend large sums of money.”

Ms Levin said lotteries were no longer harmless fun as portrayed by providers. They were now also a far cry from the benign, government-owned public sweeps that we remember from childhood, and which had legislation that mandated donating money to charitable causes.

13 October , 2023

ACCC Warns Caravan Industry Over Misleading Representations

The ACCC is putting the caravan industry on notice that the use of misleading representations in advertising is in breach of the Australian Consumer Law and may result in strong enforcement action being taken against retailers.

12 October , 2023

ACCC Issues PSA on Lithium-Ion Battery Safety

In more battery related news, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issues a Public Service Announcement on the safe use and storage of lithium-ion batteries as part of a larger push to improve safety standards around Li-ion batteries and prevent potentially deadly and highly damaging fires.

12 October , 2023

Tesla Penalised for Alleged Breach of Button Battery Safety Standards

The ACCC alleges Tesla failed to conduct the required safety tests before supplying three of its key fob models and two of its illuminated door sill models and failed to provide the mandatory safety warnings on these products as required by the standard.

11 October , 2023

LG Solar Batteries Recalled – Consumers Urged to Check and Switch Off Affected Batteries Immediately

All households with a solar storage system need to urgently check if the system has a recalled LG battery installed and should switch off affected batteries immediately, the ACCC has warned.

When these batteries malfunction there is a serious risk of injury or death due to the affected batteries overheating and causing a fire.