History
The Consumer Action Law Centre was officially launched by the Victorian Attorney-General, Rob Hulls and the Victorian Minister for Consumer Affairs, Marsha Thomson in November 2006. Consumer Action was formed from the merger of the Consumer Credit Legal Service Inc (CCLS) and the Consumer Law Centre of Victoria (CLCV), out of funding provided jointly by Victoria Legal Aid and Consumer Affairs Victoria. Consumer Action is proud to continue the united tradition of the two leading consumer advocacy bodies in Victoria during the 1990s and 2000s.
About CCLS
CCLS was established in 1983 as a community legal service specialising in consumer credit and debt. In its more than 20 years of litigation and policy development focused upon the needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged consumers, CCLS re-defined the Victorian - and national - consumer credit legal framework with such important work as:
- successfully objecting to the renewal of a credit provider's license for Household Finance Corporation;
- testing the linked credit provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1974 in a series of decisions throughout the 1990s, culminating in the decision of the Supreme Court of Victoria in Equuscorp Pty Limited v Jeffree (2001) ATPR 41-825;
- commencing representative proceedings against AGC and NAB on behalf of a class of consumers;
- reforming the Australian debt collection industry by way of an influential investigation and report into the practices of major debt recovery firm Collection House in 2002;
- defining unconscionable conduct in relation to the collection of statute-barred debts in the Supreme Court of Victoria's decision in Collection House Ltd v Taylor [2004] VSC 49;
- clarifying the operation of s 125 of the Consumer Credit Code in Agussol v Australian Finance Direct Ltd [2004] VCAT 1560, the first court decision to grant relief to a former student of Henry Kaye's failed National Investment Institute;
- regular monitoring and appraisal of the efficacy of Australia's industry-based external dispute resolution schemes; and
- lobbying of government on a wide range of law reform issues, including the regulation of finance brokers, debt collectors and the credit industry generally.
About CLCV
CLCV was established in 1993 out of funds obtained from a successful settlement of litigation commenced by CCLS against a major Australian finance company. As a policy and research body in the field of consumer law, CLCV became one of the most highly respected and influential voices in the consumer policy arena, both at a governmental level, and throughout the community generally: the latter by virtue of a highly recognisable media profile. In 2001 the CLCV commenced a successful consumer litigation practice to further its abilities to seek redress for disadvantaged consumers. Among the major accomplishments of its 13 year history, the CLCV:
- led a highly publicised campaign to regulate the exploitative practice of payday lending (short-term money-lenders to low-income people at interest rates averaging 650%);
- led a national, high-level lobbying exercise to improve the regulation of the telecommunications industry;
- played a prominent role in arguing for improving consumer protection in the privatised Victorian public transport system (including being one of the principal, successful, lobbyist for the creation of a Victorian Public Transport Industry Ombudsman);
- made submissions and participated in Ministerial working groups to examine changes to a range of legislation, including the Commonwealth Trade Practices Act and Victorian Fair Trading Act;
- lobbied for better consumer protection arising from changes to indemnity insurance;
- contributed extensively to the national debate regarding responsible credit provision by banks and the creation of affordable, accessible basic bank products; and
- contributed to the development of major consumer movement capacity building projects such as the Victorian Consumer Credit Fund and the Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre.