New Consumer Affairs Victoria roadmap sets housing in sights
With a long-term view in mind, Consumer Affairs Victoria has released its Strategic Plan for the next three years as it targets a fairer housing market.
As part of the government body’s Strategic Plan for 2023–26 targets, it revealed intentions to strengthen consumer rights in the state, foster a fairer marketplace and empower Victorians in their everyday transactions.
Outlined in the plan, Consumer Affairs Victoria’s (CAV) three overarching strategic decisions are:
- Supporting Victorians by providing inclusive and accessible services as well as recognising the extra support people experiencing vulnerability may need.
- Harnessing digital technologies through continued adoption of digital technologies that will enhance its services and ensure CAV’s data and resources are capitalised on to the community’s benefit.
- Improved engagement with community, stakeholders and CAV partners to better understand and meet the needs of Victoria’s diverse communities.
As part of the organisation’s delivery of these actions, it announced it will focus on nine key areas, including: prioritising services for individuals experiencing vulnerability in the marketplace and communities impacted by emergencies, ensuring timely compliance and enforcement responses, making our systems and services easier and faster to use, delivering genuinely helpful, responsive and culturally safe services, and fostering a safe, diverse and inclusive work culture.
On top of its Strategic Plan release, CAV also announced its regulatory priorities for 2023–24, which centre around the serious marketplace issues facing Victorian consumers and renters at this time. Several of the regulatory priorities also highlight the important role consumer laws have in protecting Victorians from the impacts of rising cost-of-living pressures, including:
- Addressing rooming house and rental provider compliance with minimum standards.
- Responding quickly where goods are not supplied by emerging online dropshipping sellers.
- Stamping out prohibited debt collection practices.
CAV confirmed these priorities would undergo an annual review to ensure focus is directed on areas most at risk of harm while also facilitating the organisation’s capacity to respond to emerging issues arising throughout each year.
It indicated unlawful estate agents’ conduct, including practices such as underquoting, would be in CAV’s sights for the coming year, alongside building challenges and motor car traders who sell bad cars and fail to provide a remedy.
Victorian Minister for Consumer Affairs Gabrielle Williams explained: “The Victorian government is committed to creating a fair playing field for Victorian consumers and businesses, and renters and rental providers.”
“That’s why we recently released Victoria’s Housing Statement, an ambitious plan to tackle housing supply and affordability,” she said.
“Under the Housing Statement, we will close loopholes that drive up costs and undermine a fair deal for renters and home buyers,” Ms Williams concluded.
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