On 1 January 2011 the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) commenced. It aims to benefit consumers by giving them the same rights and protections wherever they are in Australia. Basically the ACL has simplified the old laws and made them easier to understand and to enforce.
This law benefits you as a consumer in the following ways:
The ACL has replaced 20 existing State, Territory and Commonwealth laws with one law.
Since the previous 20 consumer laws have now been simplified into one, you no longer have the confusion of trying to figure out which law applies to you (since one law now applies to every consumer). This has also made it easier for you to understand and enforce your rights since they are now the same across Australia.
The ACL provides consumers with a law that is easy to understand.
The meanings and regulations of the new law have become simpler and clearer to understand, especially when compared to the previous provisions of the Trade Practices Act and the State and Territory Fair Trading Acts. Also, complex legal terms have been replaced with terms that the average person can actually understand!
Consumers can benefit from better enforcement of the ACL.
The ACL has been uniformly applied across Australia, and is administered and enforced by both the ACCC and the State and Territory consumer protection agencies, with the involvement of ASIC on relevant matters. Since every Court and Tribunal across Australia now applies the exact same law to consumer disputes, this can be of benefit since it allows for cheaper and clearer avenues of redress.
Consumers benefit from clear rights under the ACL.
You have the same rights under the ACL across Australia, no matter where you live, where you buy goods or services, or where a supplier is located.
If you have any questions about how the new Australian Consumer Law affects you, or you think a supplier of yours may have breached the ACL, contact our experienced team of lawyers here at The Quinn Group. For more information submit an online enquiry or call us on 1300 QUINNS or on +61 2 9223 9166 to book an appointment.
