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Below is the Centre for Media Transition’s website post on The Enforcement of Telecommunications Consumer Protections and the accompanying media release on the report by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN). The website posts were released on 3/04/2024 and are available here (https://www.uts.edu.au/research/centre-media-transition/projects-and-research/enforcement-telecommunications-consumer-protections) and here (https://accan.org.au/media-centre/media-releases/2288-uts-enforcement-report). As noted by both the report and ACCAN,…

Read More 13 Years of ACMA Telecommunications Enforcement

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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

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The Australian Finance Industry Association (AFIA) is reviewing its Car Rental Code. Signatories of this code include Avis Budget Group, Hertz, Europcar, Thrifty, East Coast Car Rentals, Sixt, Bayswater Car Rental and Redspot/Enterprise. The Code ensures an industry standard is met on a number of issues, including transparency of pricing and credit card charging practices,…

Read More Seeking CFA Member to Prepare a Submission to a Review of the AFIA Car Rental Code

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Original media release by and from Energy Consumers Australia (19/03/2024). Energy Consumers Australia CEO Brendan French: “We are pleased that the AER’s draft decision is to reduce the retail margins allowed in the Default Market Offer in recognition of the cost of living demands on consumers. This is something we have called for in our…

Read More Energy Consumers Australia Responds to Regulators Draft Default Market Offer

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In light of World Consumer Rights Day and the 2024 theme, CHOICE and the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) have both released articles on artificial intelligence (AI) and the importance, and absence, of consumer voices when discussing use and regulation. Based on CHOICE’s recent research, almost 4 in 5 Australian’s think that business’s should be…

Read More Australians Want Regulation But Consumer Voice Missing in AI Debates

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Original media release by and from CHOICE (13/03/2024). Big tech responsible for big losses: 249% increase in social media scam losses since 2020 CHOICE calls for strong rules to force digital platforms to rein in scams Consumer group CHOICE is demanding urgent government action to force digital platforms to prevent scam losses, after the National…

Read More Digital Platforms Need to Take Responsibility, CHOICE Urges Government Action

Regulations

Original media release by and from Consumer Action Law Centre (12/03/2024). Consumer groups have responded to draft Buy Now, Pay Later legislation (BNPL) released today : Quotes attributable to Stephanie Tonkin, CEO of Consumer Action Law Centre“We welcome regulating Buy Now, Pay Later and future unregulated products as credit because every day we are speaking…

Read More Buy Now, Pay Later Regulation A Step Forward, But Regulatory Holes Remain A Concern

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“This is completely inappropriate,” said Lauren Levin, The Director of Policy and Campaigns at FCA. “It was shown at a time when children would be watching. ‘Set for Life’ is exposing children to a gambling product and we know gambling can be very harmful.”

One of the contestants won a challenge and part of her prize was a ‘Set for Life’ package worth $60,000. The logo was displayed a number of times during show segments and the product was also mentioned on numerous occasions throughout the episode.

Read More FCA Calls for In-Program Gambling Ads to be Removed from Survivor

From Surviving to Thriving: Embedding a well-being framework into financial counselling practice Skills and Knowledge Connections - Survivng - Stabilising - Building - Thriving Identity Health Basic Needs Money

In 2020, the Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network (ICAN) set out to widen the scope of its financial counselling services by looking at how it could deliver a holistic financial counselling framework that could better meet the financial and well-being needs of its service users. Over the past three years, ICAN has been developing a practice framework for its financial counselling services that embeds elements of the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework. Today ICAN has released the report: From surviving to thriving: Embedding a well-being framework into financial counselling practice that shares the learnings from this significant organisational undertaking.

Read More ‘From Surviving to Thriving’ ICAN’s Report on Holistic Financial Counselling