Articles Archives - Page 81 of 180 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

13 February , 2019

Biggest overhaul of building laws in NSW history

New home owners in NSW will be better protected after the NSW Government announced strong plans to improve the building and construction industry. Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean said the plan, which includes appointing a Building Commissioner, has been months in the making, after the Building Ministers’ Forum (BMF) commissioned an independent report into…

12 February , 2019

No Australian Left Offline

A new affordable home broadband product for financially stressed Australians on low incomes should be a key priority for political parties ahead of the 2019 Federal election, according to consumer organisation ACCAN. Australia’s peak body representing telecommunications consumers, ACCAN, is urging the nation’s political parties to consider a proposal for a wholesale broadband concession that…

7 February , 2019

NBN speeds mostly steady, but improvements needed

Fixed-line NBN customers received generally good levels of service during the latest round of ACCC broadband speed tests, but some consumers experienced a dip in speeds. The ACCC’s latest Measuring Broadband Australia report, released today, expands the number of retail service providers (RSPs) to include Dodo, iPrimus and Exetel, enabling the report to cover a…

6 February , 2019

The Art of Political Advocacy: Breakfast and Panel Discussion

The Consumers’ Federation of Australia will host a breakfast and panel discussion before the National Consumer Congress 2019. Details: Thursday, March 14, 2019 from 7:00 AM – 8:15 AM, before the National Consumer Congress Melbourne Room, Melbourne Town Hall90-130 Swanston St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000 The ‘Art of Political Advocacy’ panel discussion will provide an opportunity to learn…

6 February , 2019

Consumer groups respond to Royal Commission Final Report

The Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry has now concluded. The Final Report and the Government’s response was released to the general public on Monday afternoon, providing a road map for law reform that should deliver improved standards in the finance sector. Many of the report’s 76 recommendations have been welcomed by consumer organisations including CHOICE, Consumer…

5 February , 2019

Safer Internet Day: “Together for a better internet”

Safer Internet Day is an annual, worldwide event to help encourage a better internet, with this year’s theme ‘Together for a better internet’ encouraging individuals to create a better internet by developing four, critical skills – Respect, Responsibility, Reasoning and Resilience. The Office of the eSafety Commissioner is the official Committee for Safer Internet Day in Australia—responsible…

4 February , 2019

Labor proposes ‘super complaints’ policy

The Australian Labor Party has announced a proposed ‘super complaint’ function for our consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Under the proposal, a ‘super complaint’ from designated consumer or small business groups about consumer or competition issues would require the ACCC to investigate and make a public response, including its proposed action,…

25 January , 2019

Australian Law Reform Commission report released

The Australian Law Reform Commission’s final report into class action proceedings and third-party litigation funders has been publicly released after being tabled in Federal Parliament. The report is expected to stimulate debate amongst consumer advocates, the legal profession, the business sector, and across the wider community, on the issues raised by the report. In announcing…

10 January , 2019

Advocates call for changes to superannuation sector

People will be hundreds of thousands of dollars worse off in retirement if the Federal Government doesn’t act now to stop the superannuation sector eroding savings. Today the Productivity Commission has released its plan to reverse the outdated structure that has led to poor performing funds, multiple accounts and zombie insurance policies. Fixing these problems…

7 January , 2019

Australia can learn from UK report on “loyalty penalties”

The Queensland Consumers Association says a major UK report on “loyalty penalties” (charging existing customers more than new ones) just released is very relevant to Australian consumers and the nation’s consumer protection and empowerment policies and practices. Association spokesperson, Ian Jarratt, says “loyalty penalties” are also a major problem for Australian consumers and this UK…

18 December , 2018

Lenders commit to improve credit card practices following ASIC review

Today ASIC has released Report 604 Credit card lending in Australia – An update (REP 604), which sets out the changes being made by lenders to help consumers with credit card debt. In July 2018, ASIC released Report 580 Credit card lending in Australia (REP 580), which found more than one in six consumers is struggling with credit card debt. The…

18 December , 2018

Telcos directed to comply with complaints-handling rules

Thirty-one telcos face enforcement action for not having appropriately documented complaints-handling processes in place following investigations by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). The ACMA investigated 41 telcos to assess their compliance with new requirements, in place since 1 July 2018, to have a documented complaints-handling process available for their customers. Following the investigations: only…