Articles Archives - Consumers' Federation of Australia

5 February , 2026

New Standards Reduce Risk of Infant Death and Injury

Two new mandatory standards which aim to reduce risk of death and injury from products that babies do or may fall asleep in must be complied with by businesses from 19 January 2026. Infant sleep products have a surface for an infant to lie on. They are designed or marketed for an infant to sleep…

28 January , 2026

What’s happening with quantum technology?

Quantum technology is already making waves in computing, communications, and sensing. Last year (2025) was proclaimed by the UN as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (see highlights and video), now’s the time to understand what’s coming, and find out more in Standards Australia’s Quantum technologies fact sheet Imagine solving complex problems that would take today’s supercomputers…

27 January , 2026

Consultation Opens for Supermarket Price and Loyalty Program Transparency

The Federal Government has released a consultation paper on new requirements for supermarkets to improve transparency about prices, promotions and loyalty programs. The proposals directly respond to recommendations from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Supermarkets Inquiry, which found that current pricing and promotional practices often make it too difficult for consumers to assess value…

22 January , 2026

Karen Cox Appointed as Consumer Representative to COBCCC

The Customer Owned Banking Code Compliance Committee (COBCCC) has welcomed the appointment of Ms Karen Cox as its new Consumer Representative, bringing decades of consumer advocacy experience and deep expertise in banking reform to the Committee’s oversight of the Customer Owned Banking Code of Practice. Ms Cox has been appointed by the Consumers’ Federation of…

17 December , 2025

Consumer Representative Opportunity: Australian Banking Association Consumer Outcomes Group

The Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) is inviting suitable applicants to apply for the role of consumer representative on the Australian Banking Association Consumer Outcomes Group. The Consumer Outcomes Group is a joint bank and consumer representative forum for discussing and responding to existing and emerging issues to improve consumer outcomes in retail banking. The COG…

4 December , 2025

International Volunteer Day 2025: ‘Every contribution matters’

International Volunteer Day (IVD) on 5 December 2025, raises awareness of the important role volunteers play in responding to challenges facing the world. The theme ‘Every contribution matters’ celebrates the power of collective action and acknowledges that every act of volunteering, big or small, contributes to a stronger and more connected world. The Day highlights…

4 December , 2025

Telehealth and Virtual Care – Draft Standard Open for Public Comment

Many GP’s, specialists, public and private health care providers now offer a telehealth and virtual care service as an option to patients. There has been widespread adoption of virtual consultation, including telephone, video conversations or recording, or an interactive form of webpage. Many doctors and medical centres now offer telehealth consultations. If you have a…

5 November , 2025

Consumers’ Federation of Australia: Annual General Meeting 2025

The notification for the Consumers’ Federation of Australia’s 2025 Annual General Meeting has been sent out and we’re busy preparing everything for the AGM. The AGM is scheduled for Wednesday 3rd December at 3:00pm-5:00pm AEDT, we look forward to seeing you there! As part of the preparations, we would like to remind all of our…

30 October , 2025

ACCC Appoints New Commissioner

ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb has welcomed the appointment of Luke Woodward as a Commissioner for a 5-year term at the ACCC, commencing from 10 October 2025. Mr Woodward is regarded as one of Australia’s leading competition and consumer law practitioners. He has more than 30 years of experience spanning competition and consumer matters, mergers and…

15 October , 2025

Responding to the challenges of population ageing in Australia

Population ageing is one of the major forces shaping Australia’s future as Australians are living longer although with increased vulnerability to health and wellbeing risks. Populations are ageing at a rapid pace across the OECD member countries, however they are not ageing as well as they could. This will have large consequences for health and…

13 October , 2025

World Standards Day 14 October 2025

Shared vision for a better world: Spotlight on the UN Sustainable Development Goal 17 Partnerships for the goals World Standards Day is celebrated every year on the 14 October and offers the opportunity to increase understanding of the importance of standardization. Most of us are not aware of how standards work or why we need them.…

3 October , 2025

Financial Counsellors Publish New Hardship Best-Practice Guide for Organisations

A new set of nationally endorsed Principles of Good Hardship Practice has been released, setting a best-practice guide for how organisations should support people experiencing financial difficulty. Developed by the financial counselling sector, the ten core principles focus on respectful communication, early intervention, and fair, compassionate support for people in hardship. “Too often, people in financial hardship…