Articles

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Original media release by and from the ACCC (12/03/2024). Australians on broadband plans provided by non-NBN fixed-line networks should benefit from more stable pricing and greater competition between retailers, following the ACCC’s decision to make a final wholesale access determination for the declared superfast broadband access service (SBAS). TPG and Uniti Group Limited (Uniti) are the two…

Read More ACCC Broadband Network Wholesale Access Regulations a Win for Consumers and Competition

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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

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Original media release from the Hon. Jim Chalmers (MP, Treasurer) and the Hon. Stephen Jones (MP, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Financial Services). The Albanese Government will introduce a financial sector regulatory initiatives grid to make sure the standard business of regulation is carried out in a more coordinated way. We want to make it simpler…

Read More Regulatory Initiatives Announced for Financial Sector

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Original text from the AER (8/03/2024). The Australian Energy Regulator is developing a toolkit to help consumer-facing energy businesses identify and engage with consumers experiencing vulnerability. The toolkit has been informed by: It summarises insights from these sources into 6 better practice principles: The toolkit has been designed to help staff at consumer-facing energy businesses…

Read More Consultation for AER on Developing a Toolkit to Identify and Support Vulnerable Consumers

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Original media release from the ACCC (7/03/2024). Consumer and competition issues in the supermarket sector and essential services including electricity and financial services are among the ACCC’s compliance and enforcement priorities for the year ahead, ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb announced today. “Our priorities continue to be shaped by the key challenges facing our economy and the…

Read More ACCC Announces 2024-25 Enforcement Priorities

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Original media release by and from the ACCC (29/02/2024). A new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by the ACCC and its Filipino counterpart, the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC), will continue to strengthen cooperation between the two competition regulators. Interagency collaboration fostered by the MOU, will enhance the effective administration of competition law and policy in…

Read More Memorandum of Understanding Between Philippines and Australian Competition Watch-Dogs

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

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The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has appointed a Review Panel to conduct an independent review of the 2020 General Insurance Code of Practice. As part of this, the ICA is providing resourcing to the Consumers Federation of Australia (CFA) for the preparation of joint consumer submissions and engagement with the review.
Please send expressions of interest to info@consumersfederation.org.au by c.o.b. Thursday 7 March 2024. If this date is difficult, please contact CFA Chair

Read More Seeking CFA member to prepare joint consumer submissions to the Independent Review of the 2020 General Insurance Code of Practice