News

call out, advertisement, campaign-2702440.jpg call out, advertisement, campaign-2702440.jpg

Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) and CHOICE has made a submission to the Productivity Commission about future National Competition Policy reforms. The submission stresses the need to analyse potential policy reforms with a focus on their effects on consumers and households, urging the Commission to prioritise understanding how different groups might be affected. The submission’s…

Read More Productivity Commission National Competition Policy Reforms Submission

building, architecture, urban-7214070.jpg building, architecture, urban-7214070.jpg

The groups emphasise the critical role of the Commissioner’s office in addressing the unique challengesof the strata sector, which currently houses 35% of NSW residents, with projections of 50% by 2040. “Despite the visionary establishment of the Strata and Property Services Commissioner’s Office, and thecommendable efforts of John Minns since his appointment, the office is…

Read More Consumer Groups Call for Increased Resourcing of NSW Strata & Property Services Commissioner as Strata Populations Increase

problem, solution, help-2731501.jpg problem, solution, help-2731501.jpg

The 2023 Life Insurance Code of Practice (the Life Insurance Code) introduced a requirement for insurers to have family violence policies available online for their customers. For many life insurers this will be the first publicly available written policy indicating how they will support customers experiencing family violence. Family violence – in the form of…

Read More Financial Rights Publishes Report on Best Practice in Life Insurer Family Violence Policies

FIRST NATIONS FOUNDATION

The 2024 First Nations Super Summit has set five crucial priorities for the Indigenous Superannuation Working Group to address over the next 12 months, aiming to elevate super standards for First Nations people. These priorities include the standardisation of forms and the empowerment of financial counsellors to act on behalf of their Indigenous clients, as…

Read More Five Priorities Highlighted by First Nations Super Summit Report

achievement, dream, opportunity-7281630.jpg achievement, dream, opportunity-7281630.jpg

The Consumer’s Federation of Australia (CFA) is now seeking expressions of interest for the 2024 Consumer Advocacy Award. The National Consumer Congress, hosted by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), will be on Thursday 27 June 2024 in Sydney. As part of the Congress, CFA is hosting the 2024 Consumer Advocacy Award for the…

Read More 2024 National Consumer Advocacy Award – Applications Now Open

Ian Jarratt of the Queensland Consumers Association in a supermarket with unit price labels in the background

The Queensland Consumers Association (QCA) is calling for the inquiries into supermarkets now being undertaken by a Senate Select Committee, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and a Queensland Parliament Select Committee to recommend improvements to the clarity of supermarket pricing. In submissions to each inquiry, the QCA says improvements are essential in order…

Read More Advocates Call For Supermarket Inquiries to Recommend Clearer Pricing

survival, survive, rescue-3580200.jpg survival, survive, rescue-3580200.jpg

More Australians will now have access to support from financial counsellors with the launch of the Financial Counselling Industry Fund (FCIF). The FCIF is the result of a collaboration between the financial counselling sector and a number of industries and companies – Australian Banking Association member banks, Australian Energy Council, Energy Networks Australia, Insurance Council…

Read More Financial Counselling Industry Fund Launches

money, the grace of, scales-2033591.jpg money, the grace of, scales-2033591.jpg

As a provider of education, advocacy, and financial counselling services to people across North and Far North Queensland, ICAN recently provided a submission to the Inquiry into Supermarket Pricing in Queensland. Our submission focused on the significant price differences people experience when shopping depending on whether they are based in metropolitan Queensland or remote and…

Read More The Price Is Not Right: ICAN’s Queensland Supermarket Submission

circle, hands, teamwork-312343.jpg circle, hands, teamwork-312343.jpg

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

Logos for Consumers' Federation of Australia, Queensland Consumers Association, Consumers SA, Financial Counselling Australia, Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network, CHOICE, Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association

Last week the Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) along with member organisations CHOICE, Queensland Consumers Association (QCA), Financial Counselling Australia (FCA), Consumers SA (South Australia), the Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association (CPSA) and the Indigenous Consumers Assistance Network submitted our joint group submission to the 2024-25 ACCC Supermarket Inquiry. Generally, the submission calls for the…

Read More Joint Submission to the ACCC Supermarket Inquiry