There is a need for closer cooperation and coordination between consumer agencies in relation to the needs of Indigenous consumers, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Chairman, Professor Allan Fels, has told an Alice Springs-based National Workshop on Indigenous Consumer Issues in Remote and Regional Australia today.
The workshop was organised by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission and co-sponsored by the ACCC and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. Taking part in the workshop were senior representatives from Commonwealth, State and Territory consumer protection agencies and Indigenous agencies.
Professor Fels hoped that a key outcome from the workshop would be much closer cooperation between these agencies in enforcement of consumer laws as well as consumer education.
"Experience indicates that consumer education has to be culturally relevant and Aboriginal people had to be actively involved in its design", Professor Fels said.
Consumers had to know their rights and how to exercise them if the Trade Practices Act 1974 was to be effective.
Professor Fels outlined a number of recent initiatives undertaken by the ACCC in relation to Indigenous communities:
- development of Storecharter (also launched today)
- active investigation of breaches of the Trade Practices Act 1974 impacting on Indigenous communities
- signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the ACCC and ATSIC. The memorandum provides a framework for cooperation between the agencies, including information sharing and complaint referral, liaison arrangements, and mutual assistance between agencies
- commissioning a major research project into trade practices issues in Indigenous communities by the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research at the Australian National University, Canberra
- development of education and information materials
- establishment of a dedicated ACCC Indigenous complaints and inquiries Infoline (1300 303 143) and cross-cultural awareness training for Infocentre staff.
Professor Fels acknowledged that consumer agencies could do much more in the education area. Sharing experiences would help to guide future initiatives.
The ACCC is committed to providing further assistance to Indigenous communities and the workshop will assist in developing the appropriate strategies, he said.