Report Archives - Page 6 of 20 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

19 October , 2023

CALC: Victoria Overrun with Lemon Cars as Current Dispute Process Totally Unfit for Consumers

“For years, Consumer Action has been saying we need to fix how we deal with car disputes. It shouldn’t be costing people years of their lives and thousands of dollars to get what they are owed under the law, and people shouldn’t be forced to drive or sell unsafe cars,”

19 October , 2023

Dispute Resolution Process Unfit for Purpose

In a recent report released by the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) more than half of Victorian’s who bought a car, used or new, in the past five years have experienced major or minor faults with their vehicle.

13 October , 2023

ACCC Warns Caravan Industry Over Misleading Representations

The ACCC is putting the caravan industry on notice that the use of misleading representations in advertising is in breach of the Australian Consumer Law and may result in strong enforcement action being taken against retailers.

5 October , 2023

AER Highlights Better Outcomes but Continue Challenges

The Australian Energy Regulator’s (AER) latest State of the energy market report highlights that the energy system in 2023 experienced fewer shocks and better outcomes than in the preceding year, however many of the vulnerabilities observed in 2022 remain.

The report reveals some improved outcomes in wholesale energy markets with average wholesale electricity prices significantly lower than the record highs seen in 2022. Wholesale gas prices also declined significantly from 2022 but remain high by historical standards.

5 October , 2023

ACCC Report on Lithium-Ion and Consumer Product Safety Urges a ‘Multi-Faceted Approach’

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission today published its latest report on consumer product safety and lithium-ion or Li-ion batteries – the type of batteries used in personal electronic devices, renewable energy storage, and e-vehicles. The report, available here in pdf and audio form, is part of the ACCC’s 2022-23 and 2023-234 priority on product…

4 October , 2023

Life Insurance Code Compliance Committee Releases First Annual Report Under the New Code of Practice

The Life Insurance Code Compliance Committee (Life CCC) prioritised supporting a smooth transition to the new Code of Practice in 2022-23, according to its Annual Report.

The Annual Report 2022-23, published today, noted how the work of the Life CCC helped life insurers to proceed with clarity in aligning systems, processes and practices to new obligations in the Code.

The new obligations and additional consumer protections came into effect on 1 July 2023.

4 September , 2023

IBCCC Sees Improvement but Serious Concerns Remain Over Underreporting of Breaches

In its Annual Report, the Insurance Brokers Code Compliance Committee (IBCCC) welcomed an increase in the number of brokers that reported breaches and complaints, but had concerns that too many continue to report zero breaches or complaints.

25 August , 2023

Join CPRC and CFA for a Briefing by Lauren Levin on the EU and UK Approach to Gambling Harm Prevention

As part of Churchill Fellowship Award, Lauren spent eight weeks across eight countries in Europe and UK, meeting with gambling regulators, banks, Financial Ombudsman Services, academics, others in the gambling harm prevention ecosystem and attended an international gambling industry convention to gain insight into what the gambling industry is doing and anticipating. In this special webinar,…

24 August , 2023

ASIC: Insurers Can and Should Improve Claims Handling

Deputy Chair Karen Chester said, ‘An insurance claim doesn’t have to be handled perfectly, but it must be handled well. Our claims handling review found good practices and poor practices across all six insurers. We identified five areas where insurers can and should make immediate claims handling improvements – consumer communications, project management, identifying vulnerable consumers and complaints, resourcing of claims and complaints handling’.

15 August , 2023

Inquiry into Price Gouging and Unfair Pricing Practices Launched by the ACTU

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has recently announced an inquiry into price gouging and unfair pricing practices to be chaired by Professor Allan Fells AO.

The announcement comes just after the OECD released a research report which found that “historically high corporate profits”, rather than wages, was the leading cause for inflation in Australia. With the OECD suggesting corporate profits may account for an average of 51% of inflation in recent years.

21 July , 2023

CGC Thematic Inquiry into Better Claims Decisions

The General Insurance Code Governance Committee (CGC) has just released a report, Thematic Inquiry into Making Better Claims Decisions, analysing instances from six insurance providers (who subscribe to the General Insurance Code of Practice) where initially denied claims were later accepted after an Internal Dispute Resolution (IDR) process.

20 July , 2023

Buy Now Pay Later – Debt Traps and Essentials

Financial Counselling Australia’s latest report, ‘Small Loans, Big Problems’, has highlighted once more the need for urgent reform to the Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), especially with the continued cost of living crisis and with many still feeling the impact of the 2022 floods.