MEDIA RELEASE: Consumer advocates welcome recommendation for stricter controls of credit funded gambling online
Consumer advocates welcome recommendation for stricter controls of credit funded gambling online
Governments and insurers should enable the pre-filling of Australians’ driving records and insurance claims histories
Governments should work with the general insurance sector to enable the pre-filling of Australians’ driving records and insurance claims history information required for disclosure purposes at the time of purchase of motor vehicle insurance. This was the key recommendation of the Financial Rights Legal Centre report Automating General Insurance Disclosure which examined close to 400 […]
AssetInsure has strongest family violence policy – desktop audit finds
AssetInsure has the strongest family violence policy in the general insurance industry. This was the finding of a desktop audit undertaken to evaluate the family violence policies of the 47 subscribers to the General Insurance Code of Practice. The 2020 General Insurance Code of Practice introduced new provisions requiring subscribers to have family violence policies […]
MEDIA RELEASE: Government must go back to the drawing board on new Open Banking rules that undermine Australians’ privacy rights
Financial Rights Legal Centre is calling on the Australian Government to halt the introduction of new rules that will increase privacy and security risks for people when sharing their financial data. The government should rescind proposals to: allow the transfer of raw financial data and “insights” outside of the safeguards and protections of the Consumer […]
Don’t suffer in alone – there is FREE financial counselling available
“Don’t suffer alone.” That’s the key message from the National Debt Helpline (NDH) and Small Business Debt Helpline (SBDH) to those who are financially affected by lockdowns in NSW and Victoria.
Report shows insurance and the law are failing vulnerable Australians facing extreme weather events
Urgent reforms are needed to ensure the nation can adequately respond in the aftermath of future extreme weather events and urgent funding is needed to ensure Australians can get legal assistance when they need it most.
While insurers often provide vital services to consumers well, findings from a new report by Financial Rights Exposed: Insurance problems after extreme weather events reveals that good consumer experiences are far from universal.
The report findings are based on the experiences of more than 700 clients impacted by extreme weather events between November 2019 and April 2021 – from the “Black Summer bushfires” to Cyclone Seroja, and multiple extreme weather events in between.
Super lobby groups fail to keep promises to consumers
Super fund lobby groups have dumped a code of conduct that could have improved how funds handle life insurance claims.
Consumer groups applaud Federal Court ruling to uphold ASIC intervention in short-term credit market
Today’s Full Federal Court decision to dismiss an application by Cigno Pty Ltd (Cigno), seeking to quash the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s (ASIC) product intervention order to reign in short-term credit fees and charges, has been applauded by consumer advocates.
Court decision on Cigno lending model “extremely disappointing”
Today’s Federal Court decision that the lending model promoted by Cigno Pty Ltd did not breach the National Consumer Credit Protection Act (National Credit Act) is extremely disappointing, and consumer advocates have urged the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) to appeal the decision.
Media Release: Australian Government should respect citizens’ rights to consent to data sharing
Financial Rights Legal Centre is calling on the Australian Government to respect the rights of joint bank account holders to control their own data.