Australian Consumer Law
Australia’s general consumer protections are found in the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). The full text of the ACL is set out in schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) (‘C&C Act’), formerly the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) (‘TP Act’).
The ACL applies to consumer transactions for all goods and services after 1 January 2011, except financial services. Consumer protections in relation to financial services are found in the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 (Cth) (‘ASIC Act’).
For transactions that occurred up to 31 December 2010, the previous national, state and territory consumer laws will continue to apply.
The ACL:
is administered by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and, in Victoria, by Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV); and
is generally reflected in similar provisions in the ASIC Act, so that financial products and services are treated in the same way.
In Victoria, section 8 of the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act 2012 (Vic) (‘ACL&FTA’) applies the ACL in schedule 2 to the C&C Act as a law of the state of Victoria.
This chapter contains a brief description of the main consumer protection legislation that applies in Victoria, under the ACL.
Australian Consumer Law
Chapter: 7.2: Consumer protection laws
Contributor: Stephen Nowicki, Director of Legal Practice, Consumer Action Law Centre
Current as of: 1 September 2024
Law Handbook Page: 617
Next Section: Australian Consumer Law consumer protection
