Australian Consumer Law Review – Final Report

Consumer Affairs Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) conducted the first major review of the Australian Consumer Law from 31 March 2016 to March 2017.

In June 2015, consumer affairs ministers asked CAANZ to start a review through the Legislative and Governance Forum on Consumer Affairs.

Intent

The review's intent was to:

• assess the effectiveness of the current law and whether the law was sufficiently flexible to address new and emerging issues and
• consider the extent to which the national consumer policy framework has met the objectives articulated by the Council of Australian Governments.

Recommendations

The final report recommended a reform package of:

• 19 legislative proposals
• non-legislative actions by regulators and
• a program of more research and development.

Findings

The review found that, on the whole, the introduction of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) benefited consumers and traders. The law itself is generally ‘fit for purpose’.

The introduction of the ACL helped to empower consumers, lower the incidence of consumer problems and ease the regulatory burden on traders.

While the law's introduction was an important microeconomic reform benefiting consumers and traders, the review also identified areas where the law should be improved.

Process

The review included:

• public consultation
• findings of consumer and business opinion from the Australian Consumer Survey 2016
• a comparative analysis of overseas consumer policy framework and
• ongoing related reforms at all levels of government.

Note: due to the age of these documents they may not meet current web accessibility requirements. If you require an alternative format contact us.