Consumer Action Law Centre
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Consumer Action Law Centre
The Consumer Action Law Centre (CALC), also known as Consumer Action, is primarily a campaign-focused consumer advocacy organisation, but also acts as a community legal centre, providing free legal advice and pursuing litigation on behalf of vulnerable and disadvantaged consumers across Victoria, Australia. Based in Melbourne, it was formed in 2006 by the merger of the Consumer Law Centre Victoria and the Consumer Credit Legal Service and is funded jointly by Victoria Legal Aid and Consumer Affairs Victoria. Its mission is "just outcomes, for and with consumers". The organisation is national in its policy and advocacy work, while its services primarily service people residing in Victoria. CALC pursues a law reform agenda across a range of consumer issues at a governmental level, in the media, and throughout the community directly. It is represented on a number of national and state-based regulators' consumer consultative committees, including the Australian Competition & Consumer ...
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Community Legal Centre
A community legal centre (CLC) is the Australian term for an independent not-for-profit organisation providing legal aid services, that is, provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. They provide legal advice and traditional casework for free, primarily funded by federal, state and local government. Working with clients who are mostly the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people in Australian society, they also work with other agencies to address related problems, including financial, social and health issues. Their functions may include campaigning for law reform and developing community education programs. The peak body is Community Legal Centres Australia. CLCs are the equivalent of law centres in the UK and community law centres in New Zealand. There are eight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (ATSILS), with similar characteristics to CLCs. There are also eight Legal Aid Commissions ( ...
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Victoria, Australia
Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in Australia (28 per km2). Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north and South Australia to the west, and is bounded by the Bass Strait to the south (with the exception of a small land border with Tasmania located along Boundary Islet), the Great Australian Bight portion of the Southern Ocean to the southwest, and the Tasman Sea (a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean) to the southeast. The state encompasses a range of climates and geographical features from its temperate coastal and central regions to the Victorian Alps in the northeast and the semi-arid north-west. The majority of the Victorian population is concentrated in the central-south area surrounding Port Phillip Bay, and in particular within the metropolitan area ...
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Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropolitan area known as Greater Melbourne, comprising an urban agglomeration of 31 local municipalities, although the name is also used specifically for the local municipality of City of Melbourne based around its central business area. The metropolis occupies much of the northern and eastern coastlines of Port Phillip Bay and spreads into the Mornington Peninsula, part of West Gippsland, as well as the hinterlands towards the Yarra Valley, the Dandenong and Macedon Ranges. It has a population over 5 million (19% of the population of Australia, as per 2021 census), mostly residing to the east side of the city centre, and its inhabitants are commonly referred to as "Melburnians". The area of Melbourne has been home to Aboriginal ...
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Victoria Legal Aid
Victoria Legal Aid (VLA), formerly the Legal Aid Commission of Victoria, is an organisation that provides information, legal advice and education with a focus on the prevention and early resolution of legal problems. They prioritise intensive legal services, such as legal advice and representation, to those who need it the most. They also recognise the connections between legal and social issues and advocate for change. As a statutory authority, VLA operates under the ''Legal Aid Act 1978'' and is funded by the Australian Government for matters that fall under Commonwealth law, and the Victorian Government, Victorian state government. The majority of Commonwealth law matters fall within the Australian family law, family law jurisdiction. Another source of funding is from the public purpose fund, made up of interest paid on money that is collected by the Legal Services Board from solicitors' trust accounts. VLA also administers Commonwealth and state government funding of Commun ...
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Consumer Affairs Victoria
Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) is a government agency that protects and promotes the interests of consumers and is based in the Australian state of Victoria. It is responsible for reviewing and advising the Victorian Government on consumer legislation and industry codes; advising and educating consumers, tenants, traders and landlords on their rights, responsibilities and changes to the law; registering and licensing businesses and occupations; conciliating disputes between consumers and traders, tenants and landlords; and enforcing and ensuring compliance with consumer laws. It is a business unit of the Department of Justice and Community Safety. Consumer Affairs Victoria provides information and advice on issues including renting, buying and selling property, building, shopping, motor car trading, small businesses and clubs and not-for-profits. It licenses or registers (in conjunction with the Business Licensing Authority) and regulates a range of occupations, including conveyan ...
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Australian Competition & Consumer Commission
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is the chief competition regulator of the Government of Australia, located within the Department of the Treasury. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Trade Practices Commission and the Prices Surveillance Authority to administer the '' Trade Practices Act 1974'', which was renamed the ''Competition and Consumer Act 2010'' on 1 January 2011. The ACCC's mandate is to protect consumer rights and business rights and obligations, to perform industry regulation and price monitoring, and to prevent illegal anti-competitive behaviour. Historical origins The ACCC's deeper origins are found in the Restrictive Trade Practices Act of Sir Garfield Barwick, Attorney-General in the Liberal Government of Sir Robert Menzies in 1965. Opponents derided Barwick's Trade Practices Act 1965 as "ineffectual". (The Act) did not declare any practices illegal ipso facto, but only did so after detailed investigatio ...
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Australian Securities & Investments Commission
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is an independent commission of the Australian Government tasked as the national corporate regulator. ASIC's role is to regulate company and financial services and enforce laws to protect Australian consumers, investors and creditors. ASIC was established on 1 July 1998 following recommendations from the Wallis Inquiry. ASIC's authority and scope are determined by the ''Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001''. ASIC, which reports to the Treasurer, is responsible for the administering the following legislation: * ''Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001'' (ASIC Act) * '' Business Names Registration Act 2011'' * ''Corporations Act 2001'' (Corporations Act) * ''Insurance Contracts Act 1984'' * ''National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009'' (National Credit Act) Additionally, ASIC is also responsible for administering parts of the following legislation: * ''Banking Act 1959'' * ''Li ...
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Australian Energy Regulator
The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) is the regulator of the wholesale electricity and gas markets in Australia. It is part of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission and enforces the rules established by the Australian Energy Market Commission. The AER was established in July 2005. The next year all 13 bodies previously responsible for energy regulation had transferred responsibility to the AER. Decisions made by the regulator are subject to appeal. Functions The AER's current functions are focused on regulating the natural monopoly transmission and distribution sectors of the national electricity market, monitoring the wholesale electricity market and enforcing electricity market rules. The AER's regulatory functions and powers are conferred upon it by the national electricity law and the national electricity rules. Under the national electricity law and national electricity rules, the AER's key responsibilities at the present time include: * regulating the revenues ...
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Federal Court Of Australia
The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court of record which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law (with the exception of family law matters), along with some summary (less serious) and indictable (more serious) criminal matters. Cases are heard at first instance by single judges. The court includes an appeal division referred to as the Full Court comprising three judges, the only avenue of appeal from which lies to the High Court of Australia. In the Australian court hierarchy, the Federal Court occupies a position equivalent to the supreme courts of each of the states and territories. In relation to the other courts in the federal stream, it is superior to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia for all jurisdictions except family law. It was established in 1976 by the Federal Court of Australia Act. The Chief Justice of the Federal Court is James Allsop. Jurisdiction The Federal Court has no inherent jurisdicti ...
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Australian Securities Exchange
Australian Securities Exchange Ltd or ASX, is an Australian public company that operates Australia's primary securities exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange (sometimes referred to outside of Australia as, or confused within Australia as, The Sydney Stock Exchange, a separate entity). The ASX was formed on 1 April 1987, through incorporation under legislation of the Australian Parliament as an amalgamation of the six state securities exchanges, and merged with the Sydney Futures Exchange in 2006. Today, ASX has an average daily turnover of A$4.685 billion and a market capitalisation of around A$1.6 trillion, making it one of the world's top 20 listed exchange groups. ASX Clear is the clearing house for all shares, structured products, warrants and ASX Equity Derivatives. Overview ASX Group is a market operator, clearing house and payments system facilitator. It also oversees compliance with its operating rules, promotes standards of corporate governance am ...
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Payment Protection Insurance
Payment protection insurance (PPI), also known as credit insurance, credit protection insurance, or loan repayment insurance, is an insurance product that enables consumers to ensure repayment of credit if the borrower dies, becomes ill or disabled, loses a job, or faces other circumstances that may prevent them from earning income to service the debt. It is not to be confused with income protection insurance, which is not specific to a debt but covers any income. PPI was widely sold by banks and other credit providers as an add-on to the loan or overdraft product. PPI usually covers payments for a finite period, typically 12 months, in which case they might be marketed as short-term income protection insurance (STIP). For loans or mortgages this may be the entire monthly payment, for credit cards it is typically the minimum monthly payment. After this point the borrower must find other means to repay the debt, although some policies repay the debt in full if they are unable to re ...
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Organisations Based In Melbourne
An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from the Greek word ''organon'', which means tool or instrument, musical instrument, and organ. Types There are a variety of legal types of organizations, including corporations, governments, non-governmental organizations, political organizations, international organizations, armed forces, charities, not-for-profit corporations, partnerships, cooperatives, and educational institutions, etc. A hybrid organization is a body that operates in both the public sector and the private sector simultaneously, fulfilling public duties and developing commercial market activities. A voluntary association is an organization consisting of volunteers. Such organizations may be able to operate without legal formalities, depending on jurisdiction, includin ...
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