Indigenous

ACCC product safety priorities announced at National Consumer Congress

The ACCC will this year focus on product safety issues affecting young children and strategies for reducing instances of fires and injuries from lithium-ion batteries, ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said today.

Speaking at her first National Consumer Congress as Chair of the ACCC, Ms Cass-Gottlieb shared her vision for consumer protection in Australia and announced the ACCC’s seven product safety priorities.

The priorities include high-risk product safety issues affecting young children.

Culturally and linguistically diverse community lose $22 million to scams in 2020, reports from Indigenous Australians up by 25 per cent

Last year scammers stole close to $34 million collectively from people who identified as culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD), people with disability, and Indigenous Australians.

Figures from the ACCC’s latest Targeting Scams report released earlier this week shows losses to the CALD community represented a 60 per cent increase compared to 2019, across 11,700 reports.

Cherbourg community stands against unlawful door-to-door traders

New roadside signage in the Aboriginal community of Cherbourg in southern Queensland is reminding door-to-door traders about their legal obligations under the Australian Consumer Law.

The community today launched the ‘Do Not Knock informed’ communities program, a joint initiative between the Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council, the ACCC and the Queensland Office of Fair Trading (QOFT).

The signage, located at the entrance to Cherbourg, reminds door-to-door traders that they must not approach houses displaying do-not-knock notices.

New initiative aims to keep scams out of Indigenous communities

The ACCC and state and territory consumer affairs agencies have today launched a new scams awareness initiative called ‘Too good to be true’, and will work with Indigenous communities on ways to identify and avoid scammers.

The project is being managed under the National Indigenous Consumer Strategy (NICS), and is aimed at engaging, educating and empowering Indigenous consumers to stay one step ahead of scammers.

NICS members include the ACCC as the NICS Chair, ASIC, state consumer affairs agencies and the Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network (ICAN).

Court finds that Birubi Art misled consumers over fake Indigenous Australian art

The Federal Court has found that Birubi Art Pty Ltd (Birubi) made false or misleading representations that products it sold were made in Australia and hand painted by Australian Aboriginal persons, in breach of the Australian Consumer Law.

From July 2015 to November 2017 Birubi sold over 18,000 boomerangs, bullroarers, digeridoos and message stones to retail outlets around Australia.

These products, despite featuring designs associated with Australian Aboriginal art and words such as ‘Aboriginal Art’, ‘genuine’, and ‘Australia’, were made in Indonesia.

Action plan to help Indigenous Australians with consumer issues

Consumer issues including scams, unscrupulous door- to-door sellers, and discrimination in the housing market headline some of the key priority areas in the National Indigenous Consumer Strategy (NICS) Action Plan 2017–2019.

NICS members are the ACCC, ASIC, state consumer affairs agencies and the Indigenous Consumer Action Network (ICAN). We work together to ensure that issues affecting Indigenous Australians are given a priority within each of our agencies and organisations.

Yarrabah community takes a stand against unlawful door-to-door traders

The Aboriginal community of Yarrabah in north Queensland today hosted the launch of the “Do Not Knock informed” communities program, with the unveiling of new roadside signage designed to warn door-to-door traders not to trade unlawfully.

The signage, located at the entrance of Yarrabah, reminds door-to-door traders about their legal obligations under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) and that they must not approach houses displaying do-not-knock notices.

ACCC supporting Indigenous artists to protect themselves

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has launched two new short films at an event hosted by the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) in Alice Springs today.

The first film provides advice to Indigenous artists about their rights when negotiating with dealers to on sell their artwork, and the second on how to avoid being scammed.  

The films were developed with the assistance of CAAMA and feature Indigenous actors.

Jackson Anni and FDRA sales agents not to enter Indigenous communities to sell goods or services

FDRA Pty Ltd (FDRA) (formerly known as Angel Digital) and its director Mr Jackson Anni have given undertakings to the Federal Court not to enter any Indigenous community in Australia or the Royal Darwin Hospital and its associated hostels to sell any goods or services for a period of 5 years, following action by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.