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The ACCC has granted interim authorisation for the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and electricity industry participants in the National Electricity Market to collaborate to ensure reliability of electricity supply during Australia’s transition towards renewable electricity.
Read More Interim Authorisation for Electricity Industry to Coordinate Maintenance
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Almost exactly a year after their article on Kmart, Bunnings, and the Good Guys’ use of facial recognition technology (FRT) in stores across Australia, CHOICE has released another article on the use of FRTs in a number of major stadiums across Australia.
Read More Facial Recognition Technology in Use at Major Australian Stadiums
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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is calling on consumers, businesses and interested stakeholders to provide submissions about data broker services in Australia, as part of its five-year digital platform services inquiry.
Read More ACCC Inquiry Invites Views on Data Broker Industry
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The ACMA and consumer advocacy groups have welcomed the move by the Federal Government to empower the regulator to make and enforce financial hardship standards.
Read More Direct Regulation for Financial Hardship – ACMA Puts Telco Industry on Notice
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Original media release from the ACCC, published 5/07/2023. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has examined the price and availability of childcare services, how households select childcare services and the impact of Government contributions in its interim report, published today. It draws on information collected from a range of childcare providers around Australia as well…
Read More Pricing Practices and Operating Costs of Childcare Services to be examined, as Latest ACCC Report Confirms Fees Outpace Inflation
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The Better Banking for Indigenous Consumers Project reviewed target market determinations (TMDs) for both high-fee and low-fee ‘basic’ accounts offered by some of Australia’s major and regional banks. ASIC issued notices to those banks requiring data on fees charged to consumers in locations with higher-than-average proportions of Indigenous people and for customers in receipt of AbStudy payments.
The review found that many Indigenous consumers identified in the data were in high fee accounts paying high fees, despite being eligible for a low-fee ‘basic’ account.
Read More ASIC Acts to Ensure Better Banking Outcomes for Indigenous Consumers
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Minimising gambling harm, combating SMS scams, tackling online supply of dodgy devices and enforcing spam unsubscribe rules have been identified as some of the key compliance priorities for the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in 2023–24.
Read More ACMA Names Consumer Protections a Priority for 2023-24
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Australia’s peak communications consumer advocacy group, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), has today announced 7 projects that it will fund through the 2023 Round of its Independent Grants Program.
Read More ACCAN Awards Seven New Communications Consumer Grants
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Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) welcomes the recommendations made by a Government inquiry into online gambling harm, saying the committee has heard the concerns of financial counsellors and the community, and responded.
Read More Financial Counsellors Welcome Proposal to Ban Gambling Ads and Inducements
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The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) has released the report ‘A time for change – Three years of systemic investigations in review’, calling for improved consumer protections through stronger regulation in the telco sector, and the establishment of a registration scheme for telcos.
Read More “Current rules no longer fit for purpose”: TIO Calls for New Rules to Better Protect Consumers
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The Federal Parliament has passed the Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Services Compensation Scheme of Last Resort) Bill 2023 to establish an industry-funded compensation scheme of last resort for victims of financial misconduct. Quotes attributable to Alan Kirkland, Chief Executive Officer of CHOICE: “The introduction of a compensation scheme of last resort is an historic moment…
Read More “Historic moment for consumer financial protection”: CHOICE on the passage of compensation scheme of last resort
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A report from the Customer Owned Banking Code Compliance Committee (COBCCC) has highlighted the importance of Code subscribers seeking clarity about the new Code’s requirements, mitigating human error through training and continuously evaluating compliance frameworks.
Read More Transition Challenges and Opportunities Revealed in Latest COBCCC Report
