Category Archives: Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)

Consumer watchdog will crack down on petrol price gouging when tax cut ends, Labor says

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Federal government also confirms pension and jobseeker will rise 4% in line with consumer price index, as parliament returns

The federal treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has asked the competition watchdog to crack down hard on any price gouging when the petrol excise cut expires at the end of September.

The letter to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, released on Monday, confirms the government’s intention to reintroduce “the full excise” on 29 September. It was halved for six months in the March budget.

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SMS scams: mobile companies could face fines of up to $250,000 under new Australian code

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New regulations require scam messages to be traced, identified and blocked and for information to be shared with authorities

Mobile phone companies could face up to $250,000 in fines for failing to comply with a new code to block SMS scam messages.

The code, registered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) on Tuesday, will require the companies to trace, identify and block SMS scam messages, and publish information for customers on how to identify and report scams.

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Fake Twitter accounts for new senator suspended – as it happened

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Twitter suspends two fake accounts pretending to be Fatima Payman; nation records at least 59 Covid deaths. This blog is now closed

Victoria is reporting a spike in Covid related deaths, after 28 people lost their lives overnight:

Rally outside NSW parliament to protest government’s wages policy

We are losing skilled teachers, nurses, cleaners – and we’re going to have more pressure in NSW for services to be provided that we can’t retain.

It’s not much to ask and the government needs to act.

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‘Complex and volatile’: cryptocurrencies should be regulated by financial watchdogs, say consumer advocates

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Treasury inquiry told ‘crypto is high-risk and unsophisticated investors are at high risk of losing significant funds’

Consumer groups have called for strong financial regulation of cryptocurrency markets and investments in Australia, saying crypto assets are “complex, volatile and high-risk products that can cause harm to Australian consumers.”

In a submission to the federal treasury’s consultation paper on cryptocurrency, consumer group Choice has urged the federal government to “strongly consider regulating all crypto assets under the existing financial product regulatory regime for better outcomes for consumers and the community”.

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Meta asks to be spared tighter rules in Australia, saying iPhone’s tracking blocker is hurting business

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Company tells consumer watchdog it is set to lose $10bn this year in wake of Apple iOS feature hampering ability to collect user data

Meta says Apple’s decision to allow users to stop apps tracking them on their phones has diminished Facebook’s advertising market power, and therefore the social media giant should not face further regulation in Australia.

In mid-2021 Apple rolled out a new feature in iOS 14.5 called “app tracking transparency” which asks for users’ consent before an app can track their activity across websites and apps, and allows users to opt out of the tracking at any time.

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Google faces $400m fine over Fitbit takeover if it doesn’t wait for competition watchdog’s approval

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Australian Competition and Consumer Commission concerned tech giant could harm competitors in wake of deal

Google faces a fine of up to $400m if it takes over Fitbit before the Australian competition regulator completes an investigation into the transaction.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on Tuesday rejected an offer from Google to enter into a court-enforceable undertaking limiting the way it would use data gleaned from the wrist-worn fitness tracking devices.

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Robodebt collector’s parent company harassed consumers, ACCC says

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Panthera, being pursued by consumer watchdog, is parent of ARL, contracted to recover debt from welfare recipients

LThe parent company of a debt collector handed $3.3m in taxpayer dollars to pursue welfare recipients over robodebts and other overpayments is being sued by the consumer watchdog for alleged harassment, coercion and unconscionable conduct.

ARL Group was among three companies to share in $16.5m in contracts to carry out debt recovery services for the Department of Human Services in the 2019-20 financial year, tender documents published in July show.

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