Consumer and Business Services (CBS) is to crack down on product safety and unconscionable conduct in relation to pricing this financial year (2022-23), with CBS unveiling its compliance priorities.
In a statement, CBS said that each year it identified key priority areas for compliance and enforcement work based on intelligence gathered across a range of industries.
The Agency said there were six priorities the CBS compliance team would target this year which included: Building work – taking payment but not completing the work; Second-hand vehicles – unlicensed sellers and tampered odometers; Real estate such as misrepresentation the price of properties for sale; Australian Consumer Law –unconscionable conduct in relation to pricing; Casino and gambling, reducing gambling related harm; and fuel pricing when retailers change fuel prices within 30 minutes of reporting when fuel is unavailable.
“All consumer complaints are important to CBS, and we are particularly interested in receiving complaints about products, services or businesses that relate to one of our six compliance priorities,” it said.
CBS said its Compliance and Enforcement Policy 2022 set out the framework and principles that guided its work to achieve compliance with legislation.
“CBS will not be able to take action in relation to every matter,” it said. “In order to make the best use of resources and to maximise public benefit, CBS will consider a range of factors in determining which matters to pursue.
“These factors include whether the issue relates to the compliance strategic priorities, the level of actual or potential consumer detriment and whether the conduct demonstrates blatant or systemic misconduct,” CBS said.
The Service’s 14-page Policy can be accessed at this PS News link.
