Developing a Consumer Policy for the 21st Century

In light of the Productivity Commission's inquiry into Australia's consumer policy framework and administration, this article explores three assumptions that have underpinned our consumer protection framework to date: assumptions about the benefits of competition, self-regulation, and information. It argues that the benefits can be over-stated, and do not always reflect the reality of consumer experience. The article calls for the development of an overarching framework or principles document, with a more moderated approach to competition, self-regulation and information. While the Productivity Commission's draft report has admirably dealt with many of these issues, there is scope for the proposed objectives and recommendations in the final report to reflect more consistently the disparate impact of markets and competition on consumers, and the findings of behavioural economics

Business · Commission · Competition (biology · Competition policy · Consumer choice · Economic growth · Economics · Law and economics · Microeconomics · Monopoly · Political science · Productivity · Public economics · Public relations · Scope (computer science · Law, Economics, and Judicial Systems · Legal and Constitutional Studies · Legal principles and applications · Marketing

• Financial hardship assistance behind the scenes

  Open Access•Paul Ali, Evgenia Bourova et al.•Australian Journal of Social Issues•2017

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