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The Board of Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) has announced co-CEO, Peter Gartlan, is stepping down effective from 30th September 2025. Peter has worked at FCA since 2020 and became co-CEO in February 2024. “We thank Peter for his leadership, dedication, and the impact he has had on our organisation throughout his tenure as co-CEO and prior…

Read More Peter Gartlan to Step Down as Co-CEO of Financial Counselling Australia

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Home internet and mobile connectivity are now considered essential by the vast majority of Australians. Price is the number one factor when choosing a plan, yet few people are actively checking the market for a better deal.  These are some of the key insights from the new Consumer Sentiment Tracker, commissioned by the peak communications…

Read More Most Consumers Consider Communications an Essential Service

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The Metaverse, an innovative complex virtual environment that’s emerging as the next online frontier, is fraught with risks to children including online bullying, grooming, and identity theft. The new landmark Australian standard AS 5402:2025 Children’s Safety in the Metaverse provides a framework for advancing children’s safety in the Metaverse with a focus on privacy and accessibility.…

Read More Landmark Standard to Empower and Protect Children in the Metaverse

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At the 2025 ACCC National Consumer Congress the Consumers’ Federation of Australia, with help from CPRC’s Chandni Gupta, was proud to present our Consumer Advocacy Award for the best consumer advocacy campaign or project of the past year. The nominees this year were: 1.    10 Successes of the National Scams Campaign – scams are a huge…

Read More Centrepay Reforms Take Home the 2025 Consumer Advocacy Award

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Australia’s peak communications consumer body, ACCAN, has welcomed news that Optus will pay one of the largest consumer law penalties in Australian history – a $100 million fine, subject to court approval, for unconscionable conduct. ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett said, “Unconscionable conduct is a high bar and one that Optus has spectacularly surpassed in its behaviour…

Read More Optus Admits to Unconscionable Conduct, Advocates Welcome ACCC Action but Highlight Need for Strong Telco Regulation

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Consumer Action Law Centre CEO, Stephanie Tonkin says she is thrilled by the decision of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to launch a detailed review into the national impact and harms of unsolicited selling, consultation which opens today. “This decision by our national, economy-wide regulator shows the dynamic power of the ‘designated complaint’ super-complaint…

Read More Advocates Welcome ACCC Review into Unsolicited Selling

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Consumer group CHOICE has tested 20 popular SPF 50 or 50+ sunscreens and found 16 of 20 products didn’t meet their SPF claims.  Sunscreens were chosen from a range of brands, retailers, and price points, and tested by experts in a specialised, accredited sunscreen lab. “Of the 20 sunscreens we tested, only four products actually…

Read More CHOICE study finds most sunscreens fail to meet packaging claims

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The annual Standards Australia Standards Awards celebrate excellence in standards development and are presented to those who have made significant contributions to standardisation and demonstrated outstanding service, enabling Standards Australia to attain its objectives. This year CFA Standards representative John Furbank was awarded the W.R. Hebblewhite Medal, Standards Australia’s most esteemed prize. John was recognised…

Read More Consumers Federation of Australia Representative Recognised with Prestigious Standards Award

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Vulnerability can affect anyone at any time particularly if the consumer is faced with an unexpected change of circumstance or a particularly urgent or complex situation and information is not transparent and accessible. Standards Australia has released a new draft standard which specifies requirements and guidelines for organizations on how to design and deliver fair,…

Read More Consumer vulnerability – New standard open for public comment

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The Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2025 Consumer Advocacy Award. This award recognises the best consumer advocacy campaign or project run by a CFA member organisation during the past year. If your organisation or group has delivered an outstanding campaign or project, we would…

Read More 2025 National Consumer Advocacy Award – Applications Now Open!

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The Productivity Commission (PC) has identified 15 priority reform areas for further exploration under the five productivity inquiries commissioned by the Government. The PC is seeking input on these reform areas to inform the draft recommendations in our interim reports. “Boosting productivity is the only sustainable way to improve Australians’ living standards, but productivity growth…

Read More Productivity Commission Opens 5 Key Inquiries