“The decision by Australian federal and state and territory Ministers for Consumer Affairs to ‘encourage businesses not to charge vulnerable or disadvantaged consumers to receive paper bills’ is a classic example of a do-nothing policy”, said CPSA Policy Coordinator Paul Versteege.
“Businesses will be given ‘a strict twelve month period to increase the subscription to their existing exemption programs’, Australia’s Consumer Affairs Ministers decided, but they didn’t say how this would be implemented and policed.
“While the Australian Consumer Affairs Ministers threaten a ban on paper bill fees if businesses don’t comply, that ban could not realistically be imposed until late 2020, two years from now. Bills are part of the service and no one should have to pay extra for them. The time for a ban on fees for paper bills is now.
“CPSA calls on the Australian Consumer Affairs Ministers to reconsider their do-nothing policy measure and slap a ban on fees on paper bills”, said Versteege.
