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In its Pre-Budget Submission for the 2017-18 Budget, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has urged the Federal Government to allocate funding to telecommunications initiatives that will benefit consumers. ACCAN’s recommendations include ongoing funding for the Mobile Black Spot Program, ongoing funding to ensure that the Universal Service Obligation (USO) continues until new safeguards…

Read More ACCAN urges Government to allocate budget funds to mobile expansion, USO and broadband monitoring

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Financial counsellors welcome today’s commitment by the banking industry to better banking, including making financial hardship support programs more accessible and setting up a debt repayment service. But the big question remains: why is there still no funding for financial counselling? Most of the clients seen by financial counsellors have debts with banks, yet the…

Read More Financial Counsellors Welcome “Better Banking” … but Where’s the Funding for Financial Counselling?

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Veda Advantage Information Services and Solutions Ltd (Veda) is being forced to refund thousands of consumers who paid to obtain credit reports under Veda’s expedited delivery deal, according to a decision handed down today by the Australian Privacy Commissioner. The Commissioner found that Veda breached a series of privacy rules when they: charged for “expedited…

Read More Veda to refund consumers after breaching privacy rules

Elaine Attwood, a CFA representative on the Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Packing Advisory Group recently attended the 5th meeting this December. The meeting involved discussion around FSANZ’s conclusions following the first Call for Submissions made. Members within the meeting heard on the issues raised within the submissions. Whilst submissions were minimal, the general caliber…

Read More CFA representative attends FSANZ Packing Advisory Group meeting

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Consumers’ Federation of Australia is seeking a volunteer consumer representative for the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) Consumer Advisory Panel. CAP was established in 1999. CAP advises ASIC on current issues faced by retail investors and consumers in the financial services and credit industries. CAP also informs ASIC’s surveillance, enforcement, policy and financial education…

Read More ASIC CAP Applications Open

In October this year, the Australian Senate created the Select Committee into the Resilience of Electricity Infrastructure in a Warming World. The purpose of the committee is to examine the current role of various storage technologies and localised distributed generation to provide Australia’s electricity networks, and assessing their resilience in withstanding the growing intensity and frequency…

Read More CFA asked to prepare submission for Senate on electrical infrastructure resilience

Australia’s peak consumer body, the Consumers’ Federation of Australia,  welcomed a finding from the Productivity Commission that additional public funding be provided to support consumer advocacy. The finding, made in the Commission’s Draft Report on Consumer Law Enforcement and Administration, recognised there is considerable unmet demand from policy makers for input from informed consumer advocates.…

Read More Productivity Commission calls for greater investment in consumer advocacy

Following the slew of financial scandals Australians have faced in recent years, consumer advocates say that Australians need simple and accessible justice with reformed Ombudsman services. The Review of the Financial System External Dispute Resolution and Complaints Framework (Ramsay Review), led by Professor Ian Ramsay, today released its interim report. In response to the review,…

Read More Victims of financial scandals need simple justice – response to Ramsay EDR Review