Abstract
The Australian Consumer Law (ACL) is being reviewed in 2016. The review is being undertaken by the Commonwealth Department of Treasury pursuant to an intergovernmental agreement at the time of the new national framework.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
Intergovernmental Agreement for the Australian Consumer law July 2009 para E. www.coag.gov.au/sites/default/files/ICA-australian-consumer-law.pdf.
There are now documents to support this Review: A national Consumer Survey to assess consumer and business perceptions and the effectiveness of the laws and regulatory framework. http://consumerlaw.gov.au/australian-consumer-survey/; An Issues Paper, March 2016 and a Comparative analysis of Overseas Consumer Policy Frameworks, April 2016 http://consumerlaw.gov.au/review-of-the-australian-consumer-law/about-the-review/.
- 2.
Commonwealth of Australia (2014).
- 3.
See Standing Committee of Officials of Consumer Affairs (2009).
- 4.
Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) s 131A. The TPA used to apply to the whole of the economy including financial services. Financial services were carved out in 1989.
- 5.
Australian Government (2006).
- 6.
- 7.
Australian Government Productivity Commission (2004), Australian Government Productivity Commission Review of the Australian Consumer Product Safety System Productivity Commission Discussion Draft July 2005; Productivity Commission (2005), Review of National Competition Policy Reforms Productivity Commission Inquiry Report No 33; Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs (2006), Productivity Commission (2008b).
- 8.
Standing Committee of Officials of Consumer Affairs (2009), p. 9.
- 9.
Australian Government Productivity Commission (2005).
- 10.
Australian Government Productivity Commission (2005), Review of the Australian Consumer Product Safety System Productivity Commission Discussion Draft, July.
- 11.
Productivity Commission (2008b).
- 12.
Cable v. Sinclair [1788] NSWKR 7; [1788] NSWSupC 7 http://www.law.mq.edu.au/research/colonial_case_law/nsw/cases/case_index/1788/cable_v_sinclair/ .
- 13.
Commonwealth of Australia (2015), p. 300.
- 14.
Australian Government Productivity Commission (2005), p. XX1.
- 15.
ACL s 23. The amendments come into effect in November 2016.
- 16.
Productivity Commission (2008b). See especially Terms of Reference.
- 17.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Woolworths Limited [2016] FCA 44.
- 18.
ACL s 219.
- 19.
Productivity Commission (2016).
- 20.
https://www.accc.gov.au/about-us/australian-competition-consumer-commission/compliance-enforcement-policy; Renouf and Balgi (2013), http://consumeraction.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/CALC-Regulator-Report-FINAL-eVersion.pdf.
The Productivity Commission is currently undertaking an assessment of the multi-regulator framework: http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/consumer-law.
- 21.
Productivity Commission (2014), Access to Justice Arrangements Report No 72.
- 22.
Australian Consumer Survey, 2016 http://consumerlaw.gov.au/australian-consumer-survey/.
- 23.
ACL ss237, 238.
- 24.
The legislation is structured to create separate but identical obligations with either civil or criminal consequences. On civil penalties in Australia, see Australian Law Reform Commission (2001).
- 25.
Commonwealth of Australia v Director, Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate; Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union v Director, Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate [2015] HCA 46 at [16], [17], [22], [24].
- 26.
See, for instance, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd [2014] FCA 1405.
- 27.
ACCC Consultation Paper International Standards Associations: Consumer product safety May 2016 https://consultation.accc.gov.au/product-safety/international-standards/supporting_documents/Consultation%20paper%20%20International%20standards%20associations%20%20April%202016.pdf; Commonwealth of Australia Competition Policy Review Final Report March 2015 (Harper Review) Recommendation 10.
- 28.
ACL s 131. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Woolworths Limited [2016] FCA 44.
- 29.
ACL s 104, s 105.
- 30.
ACL s 105 (1). On the role of Standards Australia, see Commonwealth of Australia (2015), Box 10.8 p. 136.
- 31.
Standards Australia Forum on AS/NZS 1698: 2006 Protective helmets for vehicle users February 19 2015; Rod Sims, Chairman ACCC(2015), Keynote Presentation: Australasian Consumer Law Roundtable 2015 1 December.
- 32.
- 33.
Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) Schedule 2 s 64. But note s 64A.
- 34.
The state of Sale of Goods Acts retain implied terms.
- 35.
ACL s 59.
- 36.
ACL s 102; Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Fisher & Paykel Customer Services Pty Ltd [2014] FCA 1393.
- 37.
ACL ss 259–263.
- 38.
ACL s 29. See, for example, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Avitalb Pty Ltd [2014] FCA 222.
- 39.
Google Inc v Australian Competition and Consumer Commission [2013] HCA 1.
- 40.
- 41.
Commonwealth of Australia (2014), p. 188.
- 42.
Commonwealth of Australia (2015), p. 303.
- 43.
Paciocco v Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited [2016] HCA 28.
- 44.
This is a self-regulatory industry funded service. Membership of an ADR scheme is a condition of holding an Australian Financial Services License.
- 45.
Commonwealth of Australia (2014), Recommendation 21.
- 46.
See ACL s 2; Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) s 4(1), s 5. This is similar to the situation with the old Trade Practices Act.
- 47.
Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) s 5.
- 48.
Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) s 4(1).
- 49.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Valve Corporation (No 3) [2016] FCA 196.
- 50.
ACL s 67; Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Valve Corporation (No 3) [2016] FCA 196.
- 51.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Valve Corporation (No 3) [2016] FCA 196.
- 52.
Akai Pty Ltd v People’s Insurance Company Limited [1996] HCA 39; 188 CLR 418 at 433; Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Valve Corporation (No 3) [2016] FCA 196 at [117].
- 53.
Deloitte Access Economics The sharing economy and the Competition and Consumer Act, ACCC 2015 p vii.
- 54.
- 55.
- 56.
ASIC Regulatory Guide 54 Principles for Cross Border Regulation June 2012.
References
Australian Government (2006) Rethinking Regulation Report of the Taskforce on Reducing Regulatory Burdens on Business January (Red Tape Report)
Australian Government Productivity Commission (2004) Australian and New Zealand Competition and Consumer Protection Regimes, Productivity Commission Research Report, 16 December
Australian Government Productivity Commission (2005) Review of National Competition Policy Reforms, Productivity Commission Inquiry Report No 33
Australian Law Reform Commission (2001) Principled Regulation Civil and Administrative Penalties in Australia, ALRC 95
Committee of Inquiry into National Competition Policy (1993) Review of the Committee of Inquiry into National Competition Policy, Hilmer Report
Commonwealth of Australia (2014) Financial System Inquiry Final Report, Murray, November
Commonwealth of Australia (2015) Competition Policy Review Final Report March (Harper Review)
Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs (2006) Harmonisation of legal systems within Australia and between Australia and New Zealand, November
Paterson J (2013) A general prohibition on unfair commercial practices? In: Malbon J, Nottage L (eds) Consumer law and policy in Australia and New Zealand. Federation Press, Sydney
Pearson G (2016) Further challenges for Australian consumer law, in National Law School Delhi, National Seminar on Consumer protection New Age Challenges, in collaboration with IIPA New Delhi and Government of India Department of Consumer Affairs, February
Productivity Commission (2005) Review of National Competition Policy Reforms Productivity Commission Inquiry Report No 33
Productivity Commission (2008a) Review of Australia’s Consumer Policy Framework v 2
Productivity Commission (2008b) Review of Australia’s Consumer Policy Framework Final Report (2 vols) Canberra
Productivity Commission (2014) Access to Justice Arrangements Report No 72
Productivity Commission (2016) Consumer Law Enforcement and Administration July, www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/consumer-law/issues/consumer-law-issues.pdf
Renouf G, Balgi T (2013) Consumer Action Law Centre Regulator Watch The Enforcement Performance of Australian Consumer Protection Regulators, Consumer Action Law Centre
Standing Committee of Officials of Consumer Affairs (2009) An Australian Consumer Law Fair Markets–Confident Consumers, Cth of Australia
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pearson, G. (2017). Current Issues for Consumer Protection Law in Australia. In: Lima Marques, C., Wei, D. (eds) Consumer Law and Socioeconomic Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55624-6_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55624-6_15
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-55623-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-55624-6
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)