Below are some recent news items that have been highlighted on this website.
Coles and Woolworths alleged to have made misleading claims
25/09/2024
The ACCC has commenced proceedings against Australia's two largest supermarket chains alleging they made misleading claims about pricing discounts, in breach of the Australian Consumer Law. Read more at
https://www.accc.gov.au.
The Good Guys in court over misleading customers
11/07/2024
The ACCC has launched court proceedings against retailer The Good Guys, for allegedly misleading customers about store credit and ‘StoreCash’ promotions, and failing to provide store credit as advertised. Read more at
https://www.accc.gov.au.
Building automation vendor penalised for bid rigging
05/06/2024
Delta Building Automation Pty Ltd and its director have been ordered by the Federal Court to pay penalties of more than $1.5m for attempted bid rigging in a National Gallery of Australia tender process. Read more at
https://www.accc.gov.au.
Qantas hit with $100m penalty for misleading customers
06/05/2024
Qantas has been penalised $100m after admitting to 'egregious and unacceptable' conduct in misleading customers by selling tickets for flights that it had already decided to cancel. Read more at
https://www.accc.gov.au.
ACCC releases report on scams activity in Australia in 2023
29/04/2024
The ACCC has released a report on scams activity showing that for 2023, the number of report scams increaesed 18% to 601,000, while total losses decreased from 2022 to $2.7b. Investment scams were by far the biggest source of losses. Read more at
https://www.accc.gov.au.
Australian Parliament passes 'right to disconnect' bill
21/02/2024
The Australian Parliament has passed an amendment to the Fair Work Act giving employees the right to not respond to employer attempts to contact them outside working hours, when reasonable to do so. Read more at
https://www.twobirds.com.
Web hosting business penalised for misleading customers
10/01/2024
The Web hosting company behind CrazyDomains has been fined $56,340 by the ACCC for misleading conduct, by automatically signing up customers for 'free' services that later incurred ongoing fees. Read more at
https://www.accc.gov.au.
AFP raids alleged money laundering ring in Melbourne
26/10/2023
The Australian Federal Police have arrested seven people in Melbourne in connection with an alleged money laundering ring that is accused of processing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of illegal funds. Read more at
https://www.abc.net.au.
Government plans extensive changes to Australian Privacy Laws
28/09/2023
The Australian Government has released its response to a major review into the Privacy Act, including plans to increase protections for children and strengthening obligations of all businesses. Read more at
https://ministers.ag.gov.au.
Qantas hit by class action lawsuit for 'unconscionable conduct'
21/08/2023
Qantas is facing a class action lawsuit for misleading consumers about their rights and refusing to offer refunds for cancelled flights in a claimed 'pattern of unconscionable conduct'. Read more at
https://www.abc.net.au.
Melbourne couple arrested for modern-day slavery
25/05/2023
A Melbourne couple have been charged by the Australian Federal Police with modern-day slavery offences after allegedly keeping a woman as a slave in their Point Cook home. Read more at
https://www.abc.net.au.
Latitude Financial hit by cyber attack
16/03/2023
More than 300,000 identity documents including drivers licences have been stolen in a breach reported by ASX-listed company Latitude Financial. Read more at
https://www.abc.net.au.
Global cyber security attacks increased 38% in 2022
10/01/2023
The number of cyber-attacks in 2022 increased by 38% compared with 2021, with attacks on healthcare organisations increasing the most. Read more at
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com.
Telstra reveals confidential customer information leaked online
12/12/2022
In yet another major Australian data breach event, Telstra has apologised to thousands of customers for accidentally publishing confidential personal details online. Read more at
https://www.abc.net.au.
Human Rights Commission releases 2022 report on sexual harassment at work
30/11/2022
The Australian Human Rights Commission has released results of its 2022 survey on sexual harassment at work, revealing that 1 in 3 people have experienced workplace harassment in the last 5 years. Read more at
https://humanrights.gov.au.
Medibank reveals customer data breach much wider than originally thought
25/10/2022
Just days after the major Optus data breach earlier this month, Medibank stated that they had detected 'unusual activity' in their systems. They've now revealed a breach of sensitive customer data that is much worse than first thought. Read more at
https://www.abc.net.au.
OAIC opens investigation into Optus customer data breach
11/10/2022
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) today commenced an investigation into the data handling practices of Optus, following one of Australia's largest ever privacy breaches that exposed personal information in 9.8 million customer records. Read more at
https://www.oaic.gov.au.
Is workplace bullying and sexual harassment putting your business at risk?
14/09/2022
A new article by the Australian Hospitality Directory discusses the concerning findings of a recent survey on workplace bullying and sexual harassment, and what businesses can do to avoid problems. Read more at
https://www.hospitalitydirectory.com.au.
Ansell sued for modern slavery violations
24/08/2022
Australian company Ansell has been taken to court in the United States by 13 alleged victims of modern slavery practices in the company's manufacturing supply chain. Read more at
https://www.abc.net.au.
Major retailers' use of facial recognition technology raises privacy concerns
17/07/2022
Major retailers have been found to be using facial recognition technology in their stores, though most customers are unaware of the practice, raising Privacy concerns. Read more at
https://www.choice.com.au.