Consumer Policy

The Treasury provides advice to the Government on Australia’s consumer policy framework (including the consumer law provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (TPA), and promoting competitive, efficient, well informed and safe markets that enhance the welfare of Australian consumers.

The Hon Chris Bowen MP is the Minister responsible for consumer policy. Elected to the House of Representatives for the Division of Prospect in October 2004, he was appointed Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs following the election of the current Government in 2007. For more information on Minister Bowen, please visit the Minister’s webpage. Minister Bowen is a member of the Ministerial Council on Consumer Affairs (MCCA).

Ministerial Council on Consumer Affairs (MCCA)

MCCA consists of the Commonwealth, State, Territory and New Zealand ministers responsible for fair trading, consumer protection and credit laws.
Its role is to consider consumer policy issues of national significance and, where possible, develop a consistent approach to those issues. Its website provides information on consumer rights, and information for businesses on how to deal with consumers. It also provides links to other consumer policy and enforcement agencies in Australia and New Zealand.

At its meeting on 23 May 2008, MCCA agreed to significant reforms of Australia’s consumer product safety system. The reforms provide for a greater role for the Commonwealth in developing and maintaining permanent product bans and standards, and draw from the work of the Productivity Commission in its Review of Australia’s Consumer Product Safety System. Further information on the outcomes of the meeting is available on the MCCA website.

Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council (CCAAC)

The Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council provides advice to the Minister on consumer policy issues. On 22 July 2008 Minister Bowen announced the appointment of new members to CCAAC. The new members first met in Sydney on 30 July 2008.

CCAAC’s terms of reference are to:

consider issues, reports and papers referred to it by the Minister and report to the Minister on their consumer policy implications, and in doing so take account of the need for well-functioning markets with confident consumers;
identify emerging issues affecting Australian markets and consumers and draw these to the attention of the Minister; and
when considering consumer policy issues, take account of the competition and other relevant economic implications of consumer policy issues.

Productivity Commission Review of Australia’s consumer policy framework

In December 2006 the Australian Government requested the Productivity Commission to undertake an inquiry into Australia’s consumer policy framework. The inquiry reported on ways to improve the framework in order to empower consumers, harmonise and coordinate consumer policy across jurisdictions, and avoid unnecessary duplication and increases in regulation.

The Government released the Commission’s report on 8 May 2008. Details of the inquiry, including the final report, are available from the Productivity Commission’s website .

Consumer Policy Online

In addition to general consumer policy, the Treasury also provides consumer policy information on specific topics, such as
- choice of superannuation funds,
- financial literacy,
- e- and m-commerce,
- the consumer credit code; and
- complaints and enquiries.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is responsible for enforcing the consumer protection provisions of the TPA, and for providing information and advice on consumer protection matters in Australia. The Consumer section of the ACCC website provides important information on such topics as warranties and refunds, misleading advertising, product safety, petrol prices, and debt collection, and offers many useful publications for consumers. The ACCC also has a dedicated scams website - SCAMwatch - with information and advice about scams and how to recognise and avoid them.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is responsible for enforcing the consumer protection laws applicable to financial services. For further information please visit ASIC’s consumer website.

2008 National Consumer Congress

The West Australian Government hosted the 2008 National Consumer Congress on 5‑6 March 2008 in Perth.

Over 240 representatives from government, business, academia, consumer and community groups gathered for the annual Congress to discuss key consumer issues and perspectives on the way forward in the area of consumer policy.

Speakers and participants engaged with contemporary consumer issues including the Productivity Commission’s review of Australia’s consumer policy framework, changing consumers and marketplaces, the influence of behavioural economics on consumer policy, and consumer policy developments in jurisdictions outside Australia.

Minister Bowen’s keynote address to the Congress discusses ways forward for consumer policy in Australia. The Minister discussed important policy areas such as the national product safety regime, the regulation of component pricing, and the need for the Australian Government to take a greater role in consumer policy generally.

Other highlights of the Congress included addresses by Mr Robert Fitzgerald AM of the Productivity Commission; Professor Iain Ramsay of the University of Kent; and Mrs Pamela W S Chan, honorary advisor to Consumers International. For more information about the 2008 Congress, please visit http://www.ncc2008.com.

The Australian Government hosted the 2007 National Consumer Congress on 14‑15 March 2007 in Melbourne. For more information on the 2007 Congress, including session transcripts and speaker biographies, visit http://www.treasury.gov.au/ncc/.

Current Consumer Policy Documents

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12-09-2008	Issues Paper - Unit Pricing
19-03-2008	Ministerial Consent Under s5 of the TPA, to Rely on Extraterritorial Conduct in Private Proceedings