ANZ has already struck a deal with Apple for its contactless payment system but now four other banks are arguing the company is making competition difficult.
Monica Davey/EPA
The competition in Australia’s contactless payment industry is heating up as Apple Pay sets up in Australia. However some banks claim the company is making the system less competitive.
Although Australia has adopted European emissions standards for cars, these are not as strict as EU or US standards.
Joe Castro/AAP
The court action ACCC has brought against Volkswagen might not succeed because Australia’s emissions standards are not as strict as those in the US and Europe.
The ACCC is taking VW to court.
VW image from www.shutterstock.com
The ACCC has launched proceedings against VW for allegedly misleading consumers. But consumers won’t be directly compensated from the case.
Authorities need to do more when people try to report they’re a victim of online fraud.
Shutterstock/SFIO CRACHO
Victims of online fraud say they’re passed from one authority to another when they try to report it, and they’re still made to feel they are to blame for being caught out by a scam.
The health sector has been plagued by problems from privatisation similar to those in vocational education.
Dean Lewins/AAP
The presumption in government is that privatisation is always desirable, but many failures have led consumers to think differently.
A business cannot price “too low” or it breaks the law, but undercutting competitors is not necessarily illegal.
Paul Miller/AAP
It’s time that Australians debated the objective of our competition law. It shouldn’t just be left to the courts.
Volkswagen has paid a record settlement in the US.
AAP/EPA/Friso Gentsch
Fresh from a record US$15 billion settlement, Volkswagen is resisting paying compensation in other countries.
There is no single regulatory regime governing the fitting of hearing aids.
from shutterstock.com
Audiology services are government registered for many – such as for children up to the age of 26 and veterans. But many fall through the cracks and rely on the self-regulation of the industry.
New rules around what merchants can charge for use of credit or debit cards may be difficult to police.
David Crosling/AAP
The RBA has revised regulations on how much merchants can charge for using a credit or debit card which might make the practise more common.
Various scandals have forced the major parties in this election campaign to tackle policy on business and finance regulation.
Joel Carrett/AAP
How would each of the major parties better regulate the finance and business sectors?
Some people are still confused over what is paid or sponsored content in a typical Google search.
Shutterstock/Denys Prykhodov
Most Australians do not understand how the Google search engine works and what is paid or free content in any search results.
Eggs cartons will need to show stocking density on the carton.
Egg image from www.shutterstock.com
New standards for free-range eggs will limit stocking densities and mean hens must have access to outdoors.
Woolworths is being pursued by the corporate regulator for its treatment of smaller suppliers.
AAP/Dan Peled
Unconscionable conduct by (mainly big) business has been notoriously tricky to prove. Could a change in legal wording help?
Jetstar’s website was found to be misleading and deceptive.
Mick Tsikas/Reuters
Those annoying fees at the end of your online booking? They should be disclosed early.
There are a number of overlooked recommendations within the Harper competition review that would help small business.
AAP/ames Morgan Photography, James Morgan
Ian Harper made a bunch of less glamourous but very useful recommendations in his competition review, that deserve not to be overshadowed.
lronically, some of the very systems that make franchises attractive appear to have led to labour standards abuses at 7-Eleven.
AAP/Dan Peled
Revelations of underpaying by 7-Eleven franchises add to evidence that some franchises are prone to abuses. But why?
The Reserve Bank regulates interchange fees - the credit card fees paid by merchants - but why?
Image sourced from www.shutterstock.com
RBA has no comparative advantage or good reason to regulate the Payments System. Australia already has a specialist agency to regulate industry – the ACCC.
Despite the dominance of Coles and Woolworths, consumers are still choosing to buy their fresh food at local fruit and vegetable shops and farmers’ markets.
Sarah Joy/Flickr
Coles and Woolworths’ representation of “fresh” and “local” food reflects heightened interest among consumers about these values. But they also contributes to concerns about the supply chain.
Between then, Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch have significant media holdings.
Andrew Gombert/EPA/AAP
Fear of a Foxtel-Ten partnership to acquire sporting rights is likely to worry the ACCC.
The Nationals – of whom Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce is deputy leader – have been agitated at the strong power of Coles and Woolworths to beat down prices of suppliers.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
Farmers will get some extra help in the battle against the supermarket chains in the government’s long-awaited White Paper on Agricultural Competitiveness released on Saturday.