May 25, 2020

Our key message in responding to the Inquiry’s March 2020 Issues Paper is to emphasise that future directions for the CDR must continue to be envisaged as for the consumer, about the consumer, and seen from the consumer’s perspective. We also continue to recommend urgent economy-wide reforms to outdated protection frameworks – such as those proposed by the ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry including reviews of the Privacy Act and ongoing reforms to the Australian Consumer Law1 – to provide consistency and protection for consumers (and markets), and embedding principles of fairness, safety, and privacy through consistent policy approaches and regulatory provisions for consumer data. 

Download the full submission here.

April 21, 2020

April 20, 2020

March 26, 2020

This submission draws from an evidence base of research and policy engagement by the CPRC. Our work in this area includes: two independent consumer data research reports, Consumer Data and the Digital Economy (2018) and A Day in the Life of Data (2019); experience advising policymakers and regulators through forums including the Open Banking Data Standards Body and the National Data Advisory Council; and ongoing interactions with CPRC’s Consumer Data Research Network (with membership spanning disciplinary research areas across AI, machine-learning, privacy, consumer behaviour, competition law, and consumer law). As well, in the past two years we have lodged public submissions to consultations including the ACCC’s Digital Platforms Inquiry; the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science’s AI Ethics Framework; and a number of responses in relation to the new Consumer Data Right legislation and associated instruments. 

In this submission, we first expand on three core recommendations reflecting on the broader policy environment and highlighting some of the central issues in relation to rights and needs of citizens and consumers in a data-driven society: 

• People should have agency over how technology affects their life choices, chances and trajectories; 

• Government should provide economy-wide protections for consumers and citizens; 

• Civil society should be equipped for balanced and inclusive policy debate and reform. 

Download the full submission here.

March 2, 2020

January 31, 2020

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January 30, 2020

Affordable, effective and quality care is essential to Australia’s ageing population and the growing number of older people choosing to age in place. The sector has seen a range of reforms in response to the Productivity Commission’s 2013 report, Caring for Older Australians. As a result of the Living Longer Living Better and Increasing Choice in Home Care reforms, home care is now assigned directly to the individual with the intent of enabling Home Care Package (HCP) recipients to control and better manage their own care, a Consumer Directed Care (CDC) model.

Introducing a CDC model for HCPs in an environment where older people face major changes to health, long term illness, cognitive decline, digital exclusion and/or social isolation creates a range of challenges. This has been reflected in the evidence put to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety (ACRC) during hearings to date, raised in submissions, as well as the various reviews of in-home care.

Consumer choice in markets is most effective when:
• barriers to choice and decision-making (such as digital exclusion or financial distress) are reduced or removed
• information disclosed about the quality and price of the product is transparent, accessible and comprehensible
• comparisons can be made simply and easily between alternatives
• costs of switching between providers is minimised both in terms of time or financial costs
• consumers are aware of how to access, assess and act on the available information, tools and supports.

Our study builds on the largely qualitative evidence presented to the ACRC to date, exploring the evidence base for some of these issues across the broader community through a larger quantitative
Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) survey of 502 Australians accessing HCPs. Our questionnaire was also directly informed by the University of South Australia’s Financial Capabilities of Older Australians report and structured around CPRC’s Five Preconditions of Effective Consumer Engagement conceptual framework.

We offer a range of insights into the barriers experienced by older Australians and their carers in accessing, evaluating and getting home care services. This is followed by a series of recommendations for change to improve the delivery of HCPs, drawing on the priorities of those we surveyed and our analysis of the research findings.

Download the full report here and media release here.

January 24, 2020

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December 19, 2019

Busy lives and the convenience of online shopping have more Australians than ever purchasing their products and services online. This trend is echoed by our recent commissioned consumer research by the University of Technology Sydney, which found 87.3% of Australians are now shopping online.

Our new paper Online reviews: a guide not a gospel explores how Australians are increasingly relying upon online reviews when buying goods and services online. 82% of those surveyed had looked at online reviews or ratings at least sometimes over the last 12 months.

While online word of mouth is an increasingly intrinsic part of how we shop, our research finds we’re also not that good at navigating the truth. 70% of us consider online reviews as important as the opinions of friends and family. Almost a third of us admitted to not thinking about the accuracy and bias of information when browsing online.

We’ve highlighted some tips from UK consumer group WHICH? and our own research to help guide consumers when navigating online reviews. Check out the full research paper here.

December 18, 2019

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December 10, 2019

Download full submission here.

September 13, 2019

CPRC’s submission to the Australian Government consultation on the ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry highlights an urgent need for reform to protect consumers.

CPRC has conducted research over the past two years uncovering significant consumer frustration with being kept in the dark, with no control when it comes to the collection of their data. The organisation has urged the Government to act swiftly to protect consumers.

Key Privacy Act and Australian Consumer Law reforms to deliver consumers better protections include:

• Requiring that consumers are clearly informed about what data is being collected, who it is being shared with and what it is being used for
• Requiring that companies obtain meaningful consent from consumers to collect and use data, in line with European reforms
• Data sharing defaults for products and services being set to off, requiring active opt in
• Introducing an unfair commercial trading prohibition into Australian Consumer Law to better protect consumers exposed to manipulation and exploitation
• Introducing a general safety provision to better manage the explosion in IoT devices, having regard to privacy, protection of children and data security

Read the full submission here.