Australia’s consumer watchdog is calling for new digital platform laws to be passed that would protect consumers against scams, fake reviews, redress consumer complaints and anti-competitive conduct. In its fifth interim report (pdf) on digital platforms that was released on Nov. 11, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said that the country’s current competition…
Aussie Watchdog Calls for New Laws to Combat Online Scams and Anti-Competitive Behaviour
Three Australian Telcos Fined $33.5 Million for Misleading Internet Customers
The Australian Federal Court has fined the three largest internet service providers in Australia $33.5 million (US$22.15 million) for making false or misleading representations when promoting their NBN (National Broadband Network) internet plans. Specifically, the court ordered Telstra to pay $15 million in penalties, while Optus and TPG agreed to pay $13.5 million and $5…
Australians to Lose $4 Billion to Scams in 2022: Aussie Minister
The Australian government has warned that scammers could rob Australians of $4 billion (US$2.57 billion) in 2022, which is nearly twice the amount of losses reported in the previous year. On Nov. 7, Financial Services Minister Stephen Jones announced that the Labor government would establish a new anti-scam centre inside the Australian Consumer and Competition…
Australian Watchdog Alleges Dell Misled Consumers, Federal Court Proceedings Initiated
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has initiated federal court proceedings against Dell Australia for allegedly misleading consumers about the cost of buying add-on monitors. The ACCC alleges that between August 2019 to December 2021, Dell Australia made false or misleading representations on its website about the prices of monitors and the potential savings when…
Australian Electricity Prices Surge by 25 Percent Since April
The Australian consumer watchdog has stated that electricity bills for households across the country soared by $300 (US$187) on average in the past six months. Speaking to a parliamentary committee, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chairwoman Gina Cass-Gottlieb said this amount equalled a 25 percent increase in electricity prices for an average household. The…
Google Fined $60 Million for Misleading Australian Users
Internet giant Google has consented to pay $60 million (US$40.7 million) to settle a long-running court fight with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). In April 2021, the Federal Court of Australia found that between January 2017 and December 2018, Google violated Australian consumer laws by misleading consumers into believing that their location data…
Australia Ice Cream Icon Fined for Manipulating Competition
Iconic Australian brand Peters Ice Cream has been fined $12 million (US$9 million) for trying to freeze out competitors by stopping them from being sold at service stations and convenience stores throughout Australia for five years. Peters Ice Cream admitted to acquiring the largest ice cream distributor in Australia—Processed Fish Distributors (PFD)—on the condition that…
Optus and TPG Refunding 6.5 Million to Consumers for Underperforming NBN Speeds
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) announced that Optus and TPG would be refunding 6.5 million to tens of thousands of NBN consumers for not informing them suitably of underdelivered internet speeds. Under ACMA rules, telcos must verify maximum internet speeds when migrating customers to the NBN and notify them when speeds cannot meet…
Australian Fuel Prices Skyrocket to 8-year High in February and Showing No Sign of Slowing
March 13, 2022
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The Russian invasion of Ukraine, on top of the refusal of OPEC nations to increase crude oil production, pushed February prices for Australian petrol prices in the five largest capital cities to an eight-year high. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) latest quarterly petrol report found that the daily average petrol prices in Sydney,…
Watch out for Romance Scams This Valentine’s Day
Australians are urged to keep an eye out for dating and romance scams this Valentine’s Day after there was a record high of $56 million (US$40 million) in reported losses to Scamwatch in 2021, an increase of 44 percent. But the full extent of losses to romance scams is much higher, as Scamwatch’s internal research…
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