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The following is an excerpt from an article contributed by John Furbank and Dr Clinton Weeks Many Australian consumers are familiar with and regularly use unit pricing. In Australia Unit Pricing Regulations came into effect in July 2009. However, some unit prices are not easy to read and in other counties there is no unit pricing…
Read More ISO Unit Pricing Committee Meet in Japan
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Peak communications consumer group, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), has released a report, called Can You Hear Me?, on the customer service provided by 10 telco providers. Major findings are that consumers are unimpressed by the amount of time they spend getting a resolution to a telco issue. It takes an average of 13…
Read More Disappointing Report Card on Telco Customer Service
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A final set of new rules requiring telcos to help their customers move smoothly to the National Broadband Network (NBN) was released today by the ACMA. ‘These new rules will give consumers greater confidence that their telco will make sure their new NBN service will work as expected and provide options if their connection doesn’t…
Read More ACMA finalises new telco rules for NBN migration
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A new report highlighting the issue of phone number loss when migrating to the National Broadband Network (NBN) is recommending greater action by phone companies – including better communication with consumers and small businesses. Residential consumers and small businesses generally expect to retain their existing phone numbers when moving between providers or to the NBN.…
Read More Telephone number loss an issue for consumers and small business
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CHOICE is calling for urgent reform to Australia’s product safety system as analysis shows children’s products consistently fail CHOICE lab tests for voluntary and mandatory safety standards. “From portable cots that fail suffocation tests to strollers with finger traps, safety failures are so routine it’s clear that manufacturers are not prioritising safety,” says CHOICE Head…
Read More Cots and strollers consistently failing CHOICE lab tests
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On 14 June 2018, Standards Australia’s draft AS/NZS 4474:2018 Household refrigerating appliances – Energy labelling and minimum energy performance standards requirements standard was published for public comment. This standard embodies several years of work by members of the EL-059 Committee that includes E3 Program representatives and other key stakeholders. Once implemented, this standard will bring into effect…
Read More Public comment invited on new refrigeration appliance standard
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Consumer advocates have welcomed the findings of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Retail Electricity Pricing Inquiry Final Report, released yesterday. Energy Consumers Australia Acting CEO Lynne Gallagher said the final report confirms what consumers have been saying: that the electricity market is not working as it should and not delivering good value for…
Read More Consumer advocates welcome ACCC Final Report on electricity market
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CHOICE welcomes the Federal Government’s options paper on added sugar today which includes options for strong measures for sugar labelling like visual labelling of teaspoons of sugar on sugar-sweetened beverages. “For years CHOICE has been calling for added sugar labelling and it’s great to see the Federal Government putting forward options that will allow Australians…
Read More Clear sugar labelling on the table
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The Australian Energy Regulator has today put the long-term interests of households and small businesses at the centre of its draft decision on the allowed ‘rate of return’ for energy networks, Lynne Gallagher, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Energy Consumers Australia said today. “Energy prices, especially electricity prices, are too high in Australia and network…
Read More Australian Energy Regulator puts consumer interests at centre of rate of return decision
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A proposal to prevent credit cards becoming a lifelong debt sentence has been welcomed by Consumer Action Law Centre. The Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC) has released its proposal together with a new report examining credit card lending in Australia. The report finds that credit card debt is causing problems for at least 1.9…
Read More Credit cards should not be a lifelong debt sentence
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The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) invites applications from consumer organisations to join its key telco consumer advisory group—the Consumer Consultative Forum (CCF). ‘Communications services are increasingly central to Australia’s economic and social wellbeing. We want to better understand the consumers’ needs in the contemporary and future communications environment’ ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin. The…
Read More ACMA invites consumer reps to join key telco forum
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Standards Australia announced today that the 2018 edition of AS/NZS 3000:2018, Electrical Installations (known as the Wiring Rules) has been published in Australia and New Zealand. The new standard, created through collaboration between industry and government, has now been published with key updates in important areas, such as main switches, residual current devices (RCDs) and DC wiring…
Read More 2018 Wiring Rules are now available for licensed electrical practitioners
