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A draft report by the Productivity Commission on a ‘right to repair’ outlines some measures governments could take to assist consumers to get their products repaired. Written submissions or brief comments must be made by Friday 23 July 2021. The Commission is also holding public hearings using a video and teleconferencing service, with the option…
Read More Draft Report on “Right to Repair” Released for Comment
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The Consumers’ Federation of Australia is delighted to congratulate consumer advocates Susan Fraser and David Niven on being awarded Medals of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. Sue Fraser leads Uniting’s (formerly Kildonan) Enterprise Partnerships team consulting to the banking, debt collection, utilities and telecommunications sectors, enabling positive financial outcomes for…
Read More Queens Birthday Honours for Consumer Advocates
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On May 19th, ICAN’s own Unaisi Buli was awarded the prestigious Jan Pentland Prize at the national Financial Counselling Australia Conference held in Darwin, in recognition of her outstanding work in financial counselling. For Unaisi, her work as a Financial Counsellor is a journey that began with seeing injustices happening to her people on a…
Read More Unaisi Buli wins prestigious award
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Older Australians will benefit from several measures in the Federal Budget aimed at increasing workforce participation and fixing retirement incomes, Council on the Ageing (COTA) Australia says, but support for vulnerable groups like renters is still missing and long-term solutions are needed to ensure vulnerable Australians are adequately supported. This is a Council on the Ageing…
Read More Older Australians to benefit from Budget’s employment and super reforms; consultation needed on support payments, retirement income
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Super Consumers acknowledges positive steps, with the reforms to deliver fairer super outcomes for women and additional funding for consumer advocacy “Tonight’s budget is a step towards fairer super”, says Xavier O’Halloran, director of Super Consumers Australia. “We welcome the progress made. Financial comfort in retirement is key to people’s wellbeing. Nobody should be left…
Read More Federal Budget “a step towards fairer super”
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The federal government is consulting on a Draft Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) containing options for changes to the FSANZ Act. The draft RIS and information on how to participate in the consultation are available here. The closing date for submissions is 18 May 2021. The Act is one of the main pieces of legislation and…
Read More Consultation on options for changes to the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Act 1991
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In 2019, the Consumers Federation of Australia participated in initial consultations as part of the Review of Defamation Law. Part 1 of this Review has now been completed, and on 31 March 2021, Attorneys-General agreed that New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and all other jurisdictions that are able to do so will commence the…
Read More Defamation law reform: implications for consumer advocacy
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There are a number of facilities with summer toboggan runs operating in Australia. Summer toboggans are an amusement or recreational ride which uses a sled or cart to run down a track usually built on the side of a hill. The type of track, safety features, speed and layout vary. The two new standards open…
Read More Public comment invited on draft standards for summer toboggan runs
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Involved in any building works? The National Construction Code (NCC) sets out the minimum requirements and provides uniform technical standards for design and construction of new building work (including in existing buildings), plumbing and drainage across all Australian States and Territories. A FREE copy of the NCC is available here. NCC Volume 2 contains the requirements for residential and non-habitable…
Read More Involved in building works – What does the National Construction Code mean?
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The Morrison Government has today introduced legislation into the Parliament to establish a mandatory scheme for the sharing of motor vehicle service and repair information. This ground breaking legislation will level the playing field for the automotive repair sector, increasing competition and consumer choice. This is a media release from The Hon Michael Sukkar MP,…
Read More Morrison Government levels the playing field for independent repairers
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As online shopping becomes the new norm consumers should be aware of the product safety risks in the online marketplace. According to the OECD Global Awareness Campaign toys and games are one of the most recalled products and may pose serious safety risks to consumers, accounting for over 20% of recall notices published. The ACCC is co-leading the OECD Global…
Read More Shop safely online for toys and games
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The Full Federal Court has upheld an appeal by the ACCC and declared that Quantum Housing Group Pty Ltd engaged in an unconscionable system of conduct in its dealings with investors regarding the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS), in breach of the Australian Consumer Law. This is an ACCC media release, originally published on 22nd March,…
Read More Full Federal Court ruling provides vital clarification of the law on statutory unconscionable conduct
