Vulnerable Consumers

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Following the Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth.), industry associations have been tasked with developing codes of practice to protect Australians from a number of materials online. The draft codes for phase two, covering Classes 1C and 2 materials, have now been released and are available for public comment here. Consultation will be open from October…

Read More Consultation Opens on ‘Phase Two’ of Online Safety Codes

SCAM ALERT

The National Anti-Scam Centre is warning Australians that criminals are impersonating charities and offering fake financial assistance schemes to target people experiencing financial hardship.  No Interest Loan Schemes are offered by trusted charities such as Good Shepherd and the Salvation Army and are intended to support low-income earners and people in hardship who are experiencing…

Read More People in Hardship Targeted in Criminal Financial Assistance Scams

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The metaverse is a collective virtual shared space, where you can socialise, collaborate, learn, and play with others across different digital worlds. The metaverse may offer new opportunities for creativity, education, entertainment, and commerce, but there are also new challenges where metaverse technologies can have a significant impact on young users’ mental health and well-being. Children…

Read More Children’s safety in the metaverse – Draft standard open for Public Comment

TIME for CHANGE

The two major consumer protections announced today -the ban on unfair trading and consultation on penalties for breaches by traders and service providers of the consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law- will help create a fairer marketplace for all Australians. That’s the verdict of Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Stephanie Tonkin who welcomed the announcement from…

Read More Consumer Advocates Welcome Government Announcement on Unfair Trading and Consultations

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The Justice and Equity Centre welcomes the passing of the Australian Human Rights Commission Amendment (Costs Protection) Bill 2023, which establishes an ‘equal access’ costs model for federal discrimination law claims. This is a reform we proposed with our partners at Grata Fund, to improve access to justice for people who have endured sexual harassment or discrimination…

Read More Advocates Welcome Establishment of ‘equal access’ Costs Model for Federal Discrimination Law Claims

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Important advice about how people in Australia can protect themselves from scams is now available online in an additional 17 languages other than English on the National Anti-Scam Centre’s Scamwatch website. The new in-language videos and updated written advice on how to spot and avoid scams will make Scamwatch an even more useful resource for culturally and linguistically…

Read More National Anti-Scam Centre Launches Online Scamwatch Advice in 17 Languages

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The Australian Government, Attorney-General’s Department (AGD) has commissioned and funded the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) to undertake research on the abuse and mistreatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, and/or asexual (LGBTIQA+) older people. AIFS has partnered with Queerspace, a division of Drummond Street Services, to undertake this project. The research will…

Read More National Elder Abuse Research Program – Online Survey of LGBTQIA+ Community Members

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Mandatory code of practice, subsidies for food transportation and increased income support needed A coalition of consumer and indigenous groups is calling on the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) to better protect vulnerable residents in remote areas. The organisations have welcomed the proposed National Strategy for Food Security in Remote First Nations Communities, but they…

Read More Consumer Groups Call on NIAA to Strengthen Remote Food Security Strategy

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Medical authorities must take urgent action to ensure that up to 200,000 medical implant recipients are aware of the health threat posed by the looming 3G network shutdown. ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett said the recent delay to the shutdown of the 3G network was to be applauded, but there was growing concern that people were…

Read More Medical Authorities Urged to Address ‘ticking time bomb’ of 3G Shutdown on Medical Devices

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Older people are urging a bipartisan approach from the Federal Government and Opposition to urgently introduce a new rights-based Aged Care Act. Organisations representing older Australians and their carers say the Aged Care Act needs to be introduced into Federal Parliament this sitting fortnight if laws are to be passed this year that address the…

Read More “Stop dithering on older people’s rights” – Self-Advocates Urge MPs to Act Now on Aged Care Reform

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From the Chair of the Banking Code Compliance Committee: This year we issued three sanctions to three banks for serious and systemic breaches of the Code [relating to deceased estates]. This action underscores our commitment to hold banks accountable for the promises they make under the Code and to respond firmly where we find serious…

Read More BCCC Releases 2023-2024 Annual Report, Deceased Estates a Focus of Investigation