World Consumer Rights Day Archives - Consumers' Federation of Australia

13 December , 2024

Just Transition to Sustainable Living to be the focus of the international consumer movement

The past decade has been the warmest on record, and extreme weather has become routine in many nations, disrupting lives and livelihoods. At the same time, biodiversity loss and pollution are posing a growing threat to planetary and human health. It is increasingly clear that the impact of these crises is not just environmental, but economic and social too and is undermining progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To remain within planetary boundaries, we will need…

25 April , 2024

Global Experiment Reveals a ‘worrying margin of harm’ in AI Chatbots

23 April 2024 Last month we brought together a powerful cohort of consumer advocate groups, international organisations, business, government and civil society to call for Fair and Responsible AI on World Consumer Rights Day Friday March 15. AI is changing how millions of us experience the online world. Within just five days of the release of ChatGPT last…

15 March , 2024

Australians Want Regulation But Consumer Voice Missing in AI Debates

In light of World Consumer Rights Day and the 2024 theme, CHOICE and the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) have both released articles on artificial intelligence (AI) and the importance, and absence, of consumer voices when discussing use and regulation. Based on CHOICE’s recent research, almost 4 in 5 Australian’s think that business’s should be…

15 March , 2024

World Consumer Rights Day 2024: Fair and Responsible AI for Consumers

It’s March 15th and time for World Consumer Rights Day once more, a day to raise global and local awareness of consumer rights, protection and empowerment. The theme selected this year by Consumers International (CI) is ‘Fair and responsible AI for consumers’. For Australian consumers, the Federal Government released an interim response to safe and…

23 January , 2024

Safe and Responsible AI in Australia

While AI has immense potential to improve wellbeing and grow our economy, Australians want stronger protections in place to help manage the risks, according to the recent Australian Government’s interim response to the consultation on Safe and Responsible AI in Australia conducted last year. The interim response includes feedback from stakeholders and how the government…

10 November , 2023

World Consumer Rights Day 2024 – ‘Fair and responsible AI for consumers’

Every year on March 15 the consumer movement celebrates?World Consumer Rights Day, raising global awareness?of consumer?rights, consumer protection and empowerment. Consumers International?is proud and privileged to coordinate this day of global collaboration,?with?200 consumer advocacy members in over 100 countries.

12 March , 2021

World Consumer Rights Day (15 March 2021) ‘Tackling Plastic Pollution’

Most plastics are made to be used once before being discarded and consumer awareness of the plastics crisis is growing around the world. On average, Australians use 130 kg of plastic per person each year and up to 130,000 tonnes of plastic will find its way into our waterways and into the ocean. The good news is…

27 March , 2019

2019 CFA Advocacy Prizewinner announced

The CFA Prize for Consumer Advocacy is awarded annually at the ACCC National Consumer Congress. Now in its second year, the prize is open to any consumer advocate or advocacy organisation who has conducted consumer advocacy during the previous year. This year, the judging panel consisted of Gail Pearson, Gordon Renouf and Delia Rickard. Entries were judged on the following…

18 March , 2019

Reimagining the Corporation: Fiona Guthrie’s speech to the National Consumer Congress

The following is a transcript of the keynote address presented by Fiona Guthrie AM, Chief Executive Officer of Financial Counselling Australia, at the ACCC 2019 National Consumer Congress. Reimagining the Corporation: Why we need to change the purpose of our biggest companies INTRODUCTION I am going to begin and end this speech in the same place. And that is…

18 March , 2019

Unsafe goods should be illegal to sell

There should be a law in Australia prohibiting the sale of unsafe goods, ACCC Chair Rod Sims told the National Consumer Congress in Melbourne last week. Using new data the ACCC estimates the annual cost of injury and death caused by unsafe consumer products is at least $5 billion and could be much more. Excluding motor vehicle…

14 March , 2019

World Consumer Rights Day 2019

The consumer movement marks 15th March with World Consumer Rights Day every year, as a means of raising global awareness about consumer rights and needs. Celebrating the day is a chance to demand that the rights of all consumers are respected and protected, and to protest against market abuses and social injustices which undermine those rights.…

11 April , 2018

Fiona Guthrie AM presents 2018 Ruby Hutchison Memorial Lecture

The following is an edited extract of the 2018 Ruby Hutchison Memorial Lecture, presented by Fiona Guthrie AM, Chief Executive Officer of Financial Counselling Australia. The annual lecture is a CHOICE and ACCC co-project. Queensland’s Courier Mail recently ran a front-page story about payday loans. It told the story of Trina Begg, a single mother of…