50 years of consumer rights – how far have we come? jenni mack
TRANSCRIPT
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50 years of consumer rights – how far have we come?
Jenni Mack
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Consumer rights
• The right to safety
• The right to be informed
• The right to choose
• The right to be heard
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Substantial achievements
… but many have taken time …
• 50 years for unit pricing
• 15 years for nutrition labelling
• 15 years for mandatory product safety standards
• 20 years for national consumer law
• 20 years for national consumer credit law
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Role of Consumers International
• Expanded on the first four rights• Won international recognition for those rights• 1985 UN Guidelines on Consumer Protection
CI added – • satisfaction of basic needs, • redress, • education, • a healthy environment
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Early protections
• Weights and measures • Fraudulent ingredients
“Dangerous people”• Hawkers and peddlers Act 1849 (QLD) • Pawnbrokers act 1857 (Tas) • Mondey lenders Act 1912 (WA)
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First wave organisations
• National Council of Woman, • Country Women’s Association and • Federated Association of Australian Housewives
Advocacy tools: consumer boycotts and protest marches
Market interventions: co-operatives, bulk buying and discount for cash schemes
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Post war boom• Economic prosperity, high employment,
growth in manufacturing
• Explosion in white goods and small appliances
• Emergence of consumer testing organisations
• Ruby Hutchison set up Choice
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1960s
• April 1960 - First Choice magazine• 1000 members a week
• 1965 Unsafe at Any Speed• Nader’s Raiders
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1970s
• Trade Practices Act 1974
• Standards of business conduct
• s52 misleading and deceptive conduct ban
• Linked competition and consumer policy
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1970s activism
• CFA established
• Radical groups - BugaUp
• Global Nestle boycott
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1980s – expansion
• Federal Bureau of Consumer Affairs• Ministerial Council on Consumer Affairs• PM Hawke gives first Ruby Hutchison
address
• Consumer’s Health Forum • Consumers Telecommunications Network • Financial counselling • Community legal centres
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1990s
• Litigation penalties fund advocacy and assistance
• Working with industry
• Rise of economic policy in consumer debates
• The demanding demand side
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Consumer policy to Treasury
• Wallis financial system reforms • National consumer Credit Protection Act
2009• Unfair Contract Terms 2010• Australian Consumer Law 2011• Stronger Super• Future of Financial Advice • Payday lending• National disaster insurance
reform
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2000s - behavioural economics
Integration of psychology and economicsLooks at how people actually behave
• Policy tools from behavioural economics
• Choice architecture
• defaults
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Future of Financial Advice reforms
• Disclosure doesn’t work for conflicts – hence banned
• Opt-in or mandatory contract renewal to end passive income problem
• Opt-in works on both consumer behaviour and adviser behaviour
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This decade?
• Consumer solutions without government or industry
• FoodSwitch App
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Consumer initiated campaigns
• Dave Carroll – United Breaks Guitars
• Adam Brimo – Vodafail
• Change.org
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Consumer rights - relevant as ever• Consumer rights, social justice and sustainability
will continue to underpin consumer policy
• $3.6million fine against Optus for misleading and deceptive conduct
• New technology doesn’t mean old problems go away
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This decade - content?
• Access to services
• Sustainable consumption
• Food regulation to address obesity
• Superannuation
• March of technology
• Confusopoly
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This decade - advocacy? For Choice• Consumers want more than info
For all groups• Funding?
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Glaring gaps
• Superannuation consumer advice and advocacy centre
• Funding for CFA
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Agile and innovative
• Productive 50 years• But no certainty because of them • Consumer rights as relevant as ever
We must be more agile and innovative
Ready to respond quicker
More determined than ever
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