Articles Archives - Page 87 of 180 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

24 May , 2018

Guidelines for development and review of industry codes & EDR schemes

The Consumers’ Federation of Australia has recently developed a set of good practice principles to offer guidance to industry bodies and EDR schemes about good practice in ensuring effective consumer input, including good practice in involving the consumer sector. The principles also set out consumer sector expectations for review processes. Read the document in full here.

21 May , 2018

National Volunteer Week 2018

Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) congratulates all the volunteers who give generously of their time and expertise in representing consumers on a range of bodies and organisations including over 30 volunteer representatives participating on Standards Australia Technical Committees as part of the CFA Standards Project. This years’ theme Give a little. Change a lot. represents the millions of volunteers…

16 May , 2018

Phasing out inefficient halogen light bulbs in Australia

There will be significant savings to households on their electricity bills due to the planned phasing out of inefficient halogen light bulbs. The average Australian household will be around $650 better off over 10 years by changing from inefficient halogen lamps to minimum standard LED lamps. On 20 April 2018, the COAG Energy Council agreed…

15 May , 2018

Don’t play around with children’s online safety

Many Internet connected children’s products have weak security as well as invasive data collection and privacy features. There is currently no effective regulation of these products, and little consumer understanding of how they function or their faults. Read more on the Consumers International website here and the video Huggybug Your Family Today’: Don’t play around with children’s online…

9 May , 2018

Welcome Budget boost for Super

Consumer group CHOICE welcomes the Federal Budget measures that will make superannuation insurance opt-in, auto-reunite people with lost accounts and ban exit fees. “Making insurance in super opt-in rather than opt-out for people who are at greatest risk of being fleeced will make a huge difference to the retirement savings of millions of Australians,” says CHOICE…

9 May , 2018

Applications now open for Standards Australia Young Leaders Program 2018/19

Do you know any emerging leaders in your sector? Standards Australia are now accepting applications for the 2018/19 Young Leaders Program. The program provides in-depth training on developing standards and includes the opportunity to observe committees in action. It’s the perfect way to launch a standards career. “Being involved in the program gave me confidence to seek…

9 May , 2018

Playing safe with kids’ toys

Keeping kids free from harm is the effect of standards for toy safety. ISO has just updated a toy safety standard to ensure it covers all bases. Made for play, children’s toys are rife with potential hidden hazards ranging from sharp edges to cords or small parts, to name a few. The humble plaything can cause great harm if not designed and manufactured…

7 May , 2018

Sizing woes a Standards issue

Trying to find the right size clothing can be like navigating the minefield that is our clothing size system in Australia. It usually requires taking three different sizes into the change room, or buying them online and returning the duds. The problem is that there is no official sizing system in Australia. The Australian Standard…

7 May , 2018

Can I save on energy?

CHOICE is launching canisaveonenergy.com.au to help people tap into hundreds of dollars in electricity savings. “We’ve decided to intervene in the electricity market and cut out the commercial switching sites which are paid by energy companies to sell their products,” says CHOICE Head of Media Tom Godfrey. “Unfortunately, the electricity market has been stitched up by cosy…

3 May , 2018

Stop blaming consumers for electricity market failure

Dr Martin Gill discusses how electricity retailers continue to justify their poor behaviour by claiming consumers have a choice. This is untrue. As an essential service, consumers must purchase electricity. Consumer rights to access this essential service, at a sensible price, should be protected and not turned into a “game” with a few winners and…

3 May , 2018

Internet of things: privacy and consumers

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the rapidly expanding network of devices, physical objects, services and applications that communicate over the internet. Connected devices number in the billions today, and they transmit data without device owners knowing when or how that happens. This is a big issue for consumers as identified in the latest Economist Intelligence Unit…

1 May , 2018

Government responds to Productivity Commission Inquiry into data availability and use

The following is a media release from The Hon Michael Keenan MP, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Digital Transformation The Turnbull Government is today announcing a new national body to oversee access to Government-held data as part of a suite of reforms recommended by the Productivity Commission. The reforms, costing $65 million over the next…