Whats the difference between Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs, the Australian Consumers Association, the ACCC and all those other consumer protection bodies?
Starting at the national level, there is the Competition and Consumer Policy Division within Treasury, which develops national policy on a range of consumer matters. Next, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is responsible for administering the two major consumer laws in Australia – the Trade Practices Act and the Prices Surveillance Act. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is similar to the ACCC but is responsible for consumer protection in financial products, as well as for the regulation of corporations.. Each State and Territory has its own set of local consumer laws and its own Minister and consumer protection agency to administer them. It can sometimes be confusing as each State and Territory agency has its own name but this is usually a variation on “consumer affairs” or “fair trading”. Separate from government, are independent agencies such as Choice who publish Choice magazine. These agencies usually advise consumers on specific pr
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- Whats the difference between Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs, the Australian Consumers Association, the ACCC and all those other consumer protection bodies?
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