CONSUMERS will be better protected from dodgy deals after parliament passed a suite of tough new laws and the federal government introduced more.
Under a bill approved by the Senate today, companies convicted of predatory conduct can now be fined a maximum amount of $1.1 million, while individuals face a penalty of up to $220,000 for the same offence.
There will be clearer and fairer standard-form consumer contracts and more effective enforcement of consumer laws, which have been stripped of their regulatory complexity.
Unfair contracts between businesses and consumers - where the dubious terms are often hidden in fine print - will be banned.
Those who do try to dupe consumers won't only be hit with massive fines, but will be named and shamed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Meanwhile another bill, designed to work in tandem with the one just passed, was introduced to the lower house by Consumer Affairs Minister Craig Emerson.
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It proposes to outlaw door-to-door sales on Sundays and public holidays and limit the practice on other days.
Consumers' rights to refunds or repairs under warranties will be clarified under the legislation, and a national system of product safety rolled out.
Dr Emerson said the nation's consumer regulators would have a single set of powers to enforce the new laws.
"Dodgy operators and shonks who flout the law will face the same tough sanctions wherever they go in Australia," he said.
"These powers strengthen our hand in tackling bad business practices and problem businesses."
Dr Emerson said the two bill's represented the biggest reform of consumer protection laws in decades.
The new Australian Consumer Law will replace 17 commonwealth, state and territory acts and save up to $4.5 billion a year, he said.
The states and territories are expected to adopt the changes into their own laws by the end of this year.
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