Research

Post thumbnail

The Digital Platform Regulators Forum (DP-REG) has published a working paper on multimodal foundation models (MFMs) used in generative artificial intelligence (AI). The latest working paper “Examination of technology – Multimodal Foundation Models” examines MFMs – a type of generative AI that can process and output multiple data types, such as image, audio or video…

Read More Regulators Release Working Paper on an AI Generative Model

Post thumbnail

The majority of Australia’s consumer regulators are missing the opportunity to act as an early warning system for dodgy businesses, according to new research from the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC). The Am I The Only One? report, released today, finds that most Australian consumer regulators do not publish regular complaints data in an accessible…

Read More Calls Continue for Consumer Regulators to Release Data

announce, marketing, attention-3192838.jpg announce, marketing, attention-3192838.jpg

The Consumer Policy Research Centre is hosting a webinar, Untapped power of unpublished data, to “unveil the findings of our latest research into the publication practices of consumer complaints data among Australian regulators”. The webinar is scheduled for September 24 from 4:00pm to 5:00pm AEST and you can register for the event here. Erin Turner,…

Read More CPRC Webinar: Untapped Power of Unpublished Data

pexels-photo-518959-518959.jpg pexels-photo-518959-518959.jpg

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…

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

report, expenses management, cost deduction-3050965.jpg report, expenses management, cost deduction-3050965.jpg

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. …

Read More Over 70% of Consumers Experience Poor Customer Service

Original Power

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…

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

Barriers to Effective Resolution in the Telecommunications Industry; Key insights Report Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman; Consumer Policy Research Centre

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…

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

Money Yarns, Stronger Futures The consumer, credit and debt issues of First Nations consumers in Victoria. Integrated Practice Project Report 2021-2023

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…

Read More Money Yarns, Stronger Futures – Highlighting Challenges and Bold Recommendations

money, piggy bank, coins-2180338.jpg money, piggy bank, coins-2180338.jpg

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…

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

financial, analysis, accounting-4560047.jpg financial, analysis, accounting-4560047.jpg

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…

Read More Majority of Concessioners Not Aware of Energy Bill Concessions

ge4954bf646dfae35be59a83dab486cf6d64ebf05fd9d1173d35326a8b8223d70aa6a4fbdc7e80187ba4788b92d9302e602aa651a9e58df67290dff8ed7433988_1280-5220471.jpg ge4954bf646dfae35be59a83dab486cf6d64ebf05fd9d1173d35326a8b8223d70aa6a4fbdc7e80187ba4788b92d9302e602aa651a9e58df67290dff8ed7433988_1280-5220471.jpg

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…

Read More Upcoming Australian Ad Observatory Webinar