Policy
Engaged in multiple sectors, our team conducts rigorous consumer and policy research to uncover market failures and consumer harm. We actively collaborate with partners, leveraging national and international perspectives to identify and understand issues within markets. By openly sharing insights, we contribute to the creation of impactful policy solutions, fostering momentum for positive change and advocating for consumer welfare.
March 28, 2024
Each year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) collects data from more than 20,000 Australians in relation to their experiences of different types of fraud, including scams.
March 22, 2024
For the electric vehicle market to work well for all Australians, there need to be easy ways to have problems with faulty cars fixed and clear penalties for companies that fail to repeatedly offer repairs, refunds or replacements as required under Australian Consumer Law (ACL). Our research shows that complaints handling is not working effectively for people with faulty Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles and there is a high risk that existing processes will also poorly serve people with EVs.
March 20, 2024
In this submission we discuss how elements of AANA’s commendable green code could be strengthened. The key issues we focus on include the need for consumers to have meaningful information to be able to make direct comparisons about the products and services being advertised to them, through setting specific expectations of advertisers with respect to communicating supporting evidence to consumers. We outline extensive problems with trustmarks and self-certification schemes, the influence of imagery, and vague and obscure language in advertising featuring green claims.
February 9, 2024
Climate-related financial disclosures are essential to understand how businesses are managing climate risk and to compare efforts across entities. These new obligations should be broadened to apply to more businesses and capture more reporting requirements in time.
January 24, 2024
As part of the 2024-25 budget process, Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) requests the Federal Government to fund and support independent research into consumer policy issues. CPRC is a not-for-profit think tank that develops and champions ideas to make markets fairer for all Australian consumers. We are Australia’s only dedicated consumer policy think tank. To date we’ve led Australian-first research across a range of critical issues impacting Australians today, including quantifying the harms of dark patterns (e.g. subscription traps), impact of greenwashing on Australian consumers, consumer insights on data and privacy, and consumer experience of essential services, including how vulnerability should be addressed and supported within these markets.
January 15, 2024
Many Australian consumers want to make purchases that support good environmental outcomes. However, it can be far too hard to identify what businesses are taking genuine environmental action. The Climate Active program can help organisations understand and reduce their carbon emissions, but it also plays an important role in providing information to consumers.
December 23, 2023
A designated complaints function recognises the value of complaints from organisations with strong connections to communities, who are able to identify consumer issues at an early stage. This submission outlines minor changes to the draft legislation and a suggested approach to designated complaints to get the best outcome from the new power:
December 1, 2023
This joint submission between CPRC and Super Consumers broadly supports the Treasury’s initiatives to engage the investment and finance sectors in the transition towards a more sustainable economy. However, a sustainable finance regulatory framework should not only work for consumers by preventing inherently deceptive ‘green’ claims, but also provide meaningful information about the genuine sustainability features of investment products.
November 28, 2023
An economy-wide prohibition on unfair trade practices is a vital addition to Australia’s consumer laws. There are a range of practices that cause consumer harm, and are detrimental to the competitive process, that are not currently unlawful. These practices have become more prevalent with the widespread uptake of online commerce, while also existing in the offline world.
September 13, 2023
Consumers deserve and are entitled to accurate, truthful information on products and services advertised as being sustainable or environmentally beneficial. Businesses who make deceptive, untruthful and unsubstantiated green claims must be held accountable under the Australian Consumer Law. While CPRC is broadly supportive of the ACCC’s draft guidance for businesses on green claims, we note that this is only one of many measures that must be implemented to effectively stamp out greenwashing.
August 16, 2023
Data brokers are mining and refining our data and then sharing and selling it to the highest bidder. There is little to no transparency in how data brokers collect, share and use personal information and it presents three key risks for Australian consumers: 1) It’s unlikely that consumers even know that their data is being collected by a data broker 2) It is highly unlikely that consumers have given explicit consent for that collection. 3) There is no clear way to opt-out of having your data collected in the first place.
July 27, 2023
As AI and new technologies quickly evolve, the Federal Government should focus on creating a legal and regulatory framework that ensures that when businesses use new technologies, including AI, that consumers are kept informed, treated fairly and not subject to unsafe practices. The Federal Government must fast-track reforms for consumers in the digital economy to ensure Australians are protected from current and future harms. Failure to strengthen consumer protections will mean businesses will be able to implement AI tools that make predictions that leave people worse-off, aggregate data that leads to exclusion or expose people’s vulnerabilities for commercial gain.
