Research Archives - Consumers' Federation of Australia

21 August , 2024

New Report on Subscription Traps in Australia and Best Practices Going Forward

The Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) has just released a new research report Let me out – Subscription trap practices in Australia (published August 2024, written by Chandni Gupta, with thanks to CHOICE and Swetha Meenal Ananthapadmanaban) detailing harmful subscription trap practices in Australia and their affect on consumers. Additionally, the report explains best practices…

8 August , 2024

Over 70% of Consumers Experience Poor Customer Service

CHOICE survey of 6000 consumers reveals many businesses are giving consumers the run-around A new survey of 6000 CHOICE supporters has found that almost 3 in 4 (73%) have experienced poor customer service from a business they dealt with in the preceding year, and 85% believed that customer service provided by businesses is getting worse. …

31 July , 2024

First Nations-led Study on Lived Experience of Energy in Communities Launches

A new, first-of-its-kind First Nations-led research project has launched today, to improve energy security and consumer protections for customers accessing electricity services through pre-payment arrangements. Prepaid metering is mandated in many regional and remote Aboriginal communities and is associated with a high rate of disconnections and energy insecurity. Consumer protections for those customers vary across…

26 July , 2024

New Research Highlights Sorry State of Consumer Experience and Trust with Telcos

New research commissioned by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) shows more than 75 percent of Australians have experienced some form of vulnerability in the last 12 months. The research, produced via a partnership between the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) and the TIO unearthed a suite of sobering assessments in relation to the vulnerability of the consumer…

25 July , 2024

Money Yarns, Stronger Futures – Highlighting Challenges and Bold Recommendations

The Consumer Action Law Centre has today released a groundbreaking report titled Money Yarns, Stronger Futures. The report amplifies the voices of First Nations people, sharing their personal experiences to shed light on the significant challenges they face in achieving financial prosperity. Money Yarns, Stronger Futures not only highlights these challenges but also offers bold recommendations for both…

16 July , 2024

Banks Victim Shaming Approach ‘immoral’ and Out of Touch with Community Expectations

Banks victim-shaming approach ‘immoral’- Tonkin New polling by Essential Media is unequivocal: the vast majority (75%) of Australians expect banks to keep their money safe from criminal scammers, and if they fail, to return it to their accounts. Australians lost a massive $2.74 billion to scammers in 2023, that’s hundreds of dollars for every household in our country…

4 July , 2024

Australians Expect Super Funds to Work Hard Against Scams and Fraud

Super Consumers Australia welcomes the Financial Service Council’s Scam Mitigation Standard, but more work needed from Federal Government to fight scams in super

27 June , 2024

Majority of Concessioners Not Aware of Energy Bill Concessions

A new independent report released by the Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research at the University of Melbourne reveals that just over 35 percent of Australians have a concession card, yet only one third of them are aware they may be eligible for energy concessions on their bills. The report surveyed 3187 respondents, 1154…

25 June , 2024

Upcoming Australian Ad Observatory Webinar

Launched in 2021, The Australian Ad Observatory project at the ADM+S has pioneered a way to observe the targeting of social media advertising across populations of users. During phase one, the project generated the largest known collection of targeted ads that people encounter on Facebook in Australia – 328,107 unique ads from 1909 participants –and…

25 June , 2024

ICAN Releases Literature Review on Economic Abuse in First Nations Communities

Today, ICAN releases its literature review: A study of local economic abuse in First Nations communities with a special focus on Australia and Canada. The study was undertaken by Professor Jerry Buckland from the Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) and Carmen Daniels, Research Manager at ICAN. ICAN’s purpose in undertaking the research, was to review the literature…

21 June , 2024

Using behavioural insights to improve International Money Transfer calculators

Every year, Australians transfer an estimated $21 billion to family and friends overseas, making use of international money transfer (IMT) services. However, IMT pricing is complex and often not transparent for consumers. To assist businesses supplying IMT services, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issued best practice guidance, aimed at improving how IMT offers are…

6 June , 2024

ACNC Releases the 10th Edition of the Australian Charities Report

Charities work across multiple sectors, but the Australian Charities Report is of strategic importance as it aggregates charity data (from 51,536 charities) to provide a holistic picture or ‘sector-wide’ view. Cost of living increases impact charities Our [the Australian and Not-for-Profits Commission or ACNC] data shows that cost of living issues had an impact on…