Tag: ACCC

$589 Million Gas Project That Would Meet 80 Percent of NSW Needs Scrapped Amid Forecasted Gas Shortages

A gas import terminal project in New South Wales (NSW), which was projected to meet up to 80 percent of the state’s gas demand, has been scrapped amid forecasts of shortages in Australia’s east coast gas market in 2023. According to a recent gas inquiry report (pdf) by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC),…


100 Social Media Influencers Face Australian Probe Over Hidden Endorsements

YouTubers, Instagrammers, Facebookers, or TikTokers have been put on notice by Australia’s competition regulator over misleading or undeclared product endorsements. The move comes after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fined celebrity Kim Kardashian $1 million (AU$1.45 million) in October 2022 for promoting a cryptocurrency brand without declaring she was being paid $250,000 for the…


Shell Resumes Gas Supply to Australian Market

Global energy giant Shell has lifted its suspension on new gas contracts to Australian businesses a week after the competition watchdog warned it would penalise companies that breach the temporary gas price orders. Following a near six-week freeze on gas talks in response to the federal government’s emergency cap on wholesale gas prices at $12…


Australians Told to Beware of Fake ATO Social Media Accounts

Australians need to be vigilant against scammers on social media posing as customer service support agents for the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), the government warns. Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones said Australians were being tricked into giving out personal information and money to scammers posing as ATO workers on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms….


Market Efforts to Lower Electricity Bills Made Harder by Price Caps: Industry Suppliers

Gas suppliers warned that the newly enforced price caps have made it harder for the industry to help bring down Australian electricity prices through “immense uncertainty” to investment in domestic supply projects. Samantha McCulloch, chief executive of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA), said investment in new supply was the key to providing…


Job Scams Cost Aussies Over $8 Million in 2022

Australian jobseekers lost more than $8.7 million (US$5.9 million) to recruitment scams in 2022, new data revealed. As many as 3,194 recruitment scams had been reported to Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC)’s Scamwatch in the past year, with many victims lured by promises of quick money, according to a Jan. 3 statement by the…


Australian Government Announces $10 Billion Renewable Energy Investment Scheme

The Albanese government has received approval from state and territory governments to establish a scheme that will drive investment into renewable dispatch capacity as energy prices soar. Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced that a capacity investment scheme will ensure renewable energy reliability. “This new revenue underwriting mechanism will unlock around $10 billion (US$6.8 billion)…


Australia Fines Uber $21 Million for Overestimating Prices and Misleading Customers

Australian Federal Court has fined rideshare company Uber $21 million (US$14.2 million) for overestimating service fees and falsely advertising a cancellation fee for its Australian services between 2017 and 2021. In a federal court ruling, Justice Michael O’Bryan found that Uber breached Australian Consumer Law in two instances. The first one involves misleading representations concerning…


Australia’s Major Airlines on Consumer Watchdog’s Radar as Ticket Prices Surge

Australia’s consumer watchdog has started to scrutinise local airlines after finding airfares have increased dramatically since early this year, with no sign of relief for the upcoming Christmas holidays. As the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released its latest quarterly airline competition report, the agency said it would keep a close eye on aviation…


Consumer Watchdog Taking Telstra to Court

The consumer watchdog is taking Telstra to court over claims the telco giant was misleading customers on its broadband speeds. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has started proceedings against Telstra in the Federal Court about the company’s representation of its cheaper internet brand Belong. The commission alleges almost 9000 Belong customers were moved from…