Consumer news

• Food Loss and Waste

  08-04-2026 08:05 via consumersfederation.org.au
  In Australia alone, more than seven million tonnes of food is wasted each year—a third of all food produced. Through Food Systems Horizons, The University of Queensland and CSIRO are using science to help Australians understand the food system, their roles in it, and who they need to work with to develop a more sustainable, nutritious and equitable food system. Clean-up Australia has advice about what you can do to combat food wastage in the home.Researchers at Australia’s
  
  Read more

• Quantum Technology in Action

  06-08-2026 08:42 via consumersfederation.org.au
  New CSIRO project Quantum timing technology has developed two portable quantum-enabled timing devices that have potential benefits for consumer infrastructure including communications networks, transport systems, power grids, and financial services. Designed to help maintain secure timing for critical systems when Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals, including GPS, are disrupted. CSIRO said the project also contributes to Australia’s autonomous capabi
  
  Read more

• Consumer Advocacy Award 2026

  31-07-2026 10:25 via consumersfederation.org.au
  The 2026 ACCC National Consumer Congress has been held and with it, the Consumers’ Federation of Australia’s annual Consumer Advocacy Award. This year saw four projects and campaigns presented by CFA members from across the consumer advocacy sector, each of which saw substantial benefit to many consumers. The nominees this year were: 1. Stronger Voices, Better Care: Individual Health Advocacy Project Health Consumers’ Council WA (HCCWA) delivers Australia’s
  
  Read more

• Menstrual Hygiene – Safe consumer access

  19-06-2026 01:53 via consumersfederation.org.au
  Menstrual health hygiene includes the practices, facilities, and education to manage menstruation safely, privately, and with dignity. It encompasses proper body care, access to safe and affordable products, and the sanitation services required to manage the menstrual cycle comfortably. Menstruation (also called a “period”) is a normal biological process experienced by millions around the world each month. Menstrual hygiene healthy habits are important for your health
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Plastic Free July

  18-06-2026 06:53 via consumersfederation.org.au
  Plastic Free July is an opportunity to pause, rethink everyday habits and get started with simple steps to reduce reliance on single use plastics. As global plastic production has increased dramatically since the mid-20th century, so too have the life cycle emissions of plastics. Climate change is actively reshaping how plastics behave in the environment, making them more mobile, persistent and harmful across ecosystems.Curious to know what people have done for Plastic F
  
  Read more

• National Volunteer Week 18-24 May 2026

  13-05-2026 03:45 via consumersfederation.org.au
  The theme for National Volunteer Week 2026 is ‘Your Year to Volunteer’. This theme not only honours the contributions of volunteers but also encourages people across Australia to make 2026 the year they get involved and make a difference. The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2026 the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development (IVY 2026), highlighting the vital role of volunteers in advancing sustainability. Consumers Federation o
  
  Read more

• Have Your Say – Lighting for roads and public spaces

  04-05-2026 07:25 via consumersfederation.org.au
  Road and public space lighting schemes’ primary aim is the safe movement of people whether in motorised vehicles or as pedestrians. Lighting is critical to creating a public area that is safe and inviting for users and appropriate lighting can provide significant community benefits. Standards Australia has released a draft standard DR AS/NZS 1158.1.1:2026 Lighting for roads and public spaces, Part 1.1: Vehicular traffic (Category V) lighting – Performance and design re
  
  Read more

• Consumer Advocacy Award – 2026 Nominations Now Open!

  22-04-2026 07:25 via consumersfederation.org.au
  The Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2026 Consumer Advocacy Award. This award recognises the best consumer advocacy campaign or project run by a CFA member organisation during the past year. If your organisation or group has delivered an outstanding campaign or project, we would love to hear from you! Selected nominees will be invited to showcase their campaign or project in a shor
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• New Moneysmart Research Shows Gen Z Are Turning to Social Media and AI for Financial Advice

  26-03-2026 06:59 via consumersfederation.org.au
  ASIC is urging young Australians to ‘sense check’ the information they see online, as new research shows nearly two thirds of Gen Zs are using social media and about one in five are using AI to make decisions about their financial future.Moneysmart’s Gen Z study found that while Gen Z has a strong appetite for reputable and trustworthy financial content, many struggle to find it – and their search often leads them to sources designed for engagement rather than accuracy.Hi
  
  Read more

• People in financial distress urged to seek help as interest rates rise

  20-03-2026 03:00 via consumersfederation.org.au
  Today’s interest rate rise will add further pressure to Australians already struggling with housing costs and rising living expenses, with financial counsellors warning that more households may be pushed into financial distress.Demand for help is rising. In February there were?15,857 calls and online chats to the National Debt Helpline (NDH), the highest number recorded for the month of February since 2020. The figure represents a?9 per cent increase compared with
  
  Read more

• What to Look for When Buying a Gaming Keyboard

  10-05-2022 08:45
  
  So, you’ve finally put together your first gaming PC and are now looking to grab some peripherals. Or maybe your current keyboard is on its last legs, and your WASD keys just aren’t as responsive as they once were. In any case, grabbing a gaming keyboard might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are a few things you need to be aware of before buying one. Do you know the difference between a red and blue switch?Here’s what you need to know about picking up a gaming key
  
  Read more

• A Running List of All the Tech and Climate Election Promises From the Major Parties

  10-05-2022 08:34
  
  As we all know by now, the 2022 Australian Federal Election will be held on May 21. It’s now only 11 sleeps away and thanks to all the campaigning from current Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his opponent Anthony Albanese, we have a number of election policies already announced from each side.While there’s a number of initiatives promised from both the Albanese-led Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the Morrison-led Coalition (Liberal and National parties), there’s also some ma
  
  Read more

• Marvel’s Black Bolt, Explained

  10-05-2022 07:49
  
  Before we get stuck in, obviously you should watch Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness if you want to avoid Marvel-adjacent spoilers. This is the only warning you’ll get.
  Who the heck is Black Bolt? Well, he’s a hero that appears ever so briefly in Doctor Strange 2, along with a slew of other cameoing heroes.But of the heroes that were presented as part of the “Illuminati“, we didn’t really know who Black Bolt was. Sure, you might know if
  
  Read more

• Western Australia’s New Electric Vehicle Plan is Great, if You Ignore the Tax

  10-05-2022 07:35
  
  The government of Western Australian has announced a $60 million electric vehicle package, including rebates for EV buyers and an increase in charging stations across the state… But the WA government is also preparing to introduce a tax on electric vehicles.How do you want me to run through the “Clean Energy Car Fund”? Good news or bad news first? Let’s rip the bandaid off and go bad news first.From July 1, 2027, EV owners in Western Australia will be taxed a base rate o
  
  Read more

• The Espresso Display V2 Is a Great Monitor That’s Trying to Be a Tablet

  10-05-2022 06:48
  
  When I think about a PC monitor, I think about a big, heavy and awkward-to-carry piece of tech that stays rooted to the spot. Wherever my monitor is set-up, that’s where it stays and the room automatically becomes a study or “the computer room”. After hearing about Espresso’s range of portable monitors, my curiosity was tickled and I had to know more.I was given the Display Touch 15 from Espresso’s new V2 line-up of portable monitors. The Espresso display was invent
  
  Read more

• Use This Shortcut to Expel Water From Your iPhone

  10-05-2022 06:27
  
  Your iPhone is water-resistant, and its IP68 rating means it can survive a swim in up to six meters of water for as long as 30 minutes and things should still be fine. In theory. (This doesn’t mean you should use your phone as an underwater camera; if water does make its way inside, you’ll still face a huge repair bill or be stuck with a bricked phone.) But even if it will ultimately survive a drop into the drink, when you first fish it out, some moisture might still remain in the sp
  
  Read more

• Here’s How to Google-Fy Your iPhone, so You Can Bin the Apple Apps

  10-05-2022 05:26
  
  Maybe you’ve got yourself some Apple hardware, but you prefer Google’s apps and services, or maybe you just find Google a less scary Big Brother in your iPhone than Apple (though both companies should inspire concerns about privacy). To what extent can you live the Google life on your iPhone with Google apps?We’ll talk you through the steps you need to take here because there’s more to it than just installing the Gmail app and signing in with your Google credentials. But
  
  Read more

• How to Fix a PS4 That Won’t Read Discs

  10-05-2022 04:23
  
  The PS5 might be Sony’s shiny new console, but plenty of us are still happily playing our PS4s. That is, unless the system can’t read our discs. It’s a little more than frustrating when the PS4 refuses to play the $80 game you just popped in the disc drive. If you’re experiencing this issue, these tricks can help.First, though: I buy almost all my games digitally, so I’ve never encountered this issue on my PS4. Instead, the problem came to my attention from this Red
  
  Read more

• This Week’s Best eBay Deals, Including up to $500 off Select Microsoft Surface 3 Laptops

  10-05-2022 03:30
  
  When it comes time to purchase a new laptop or accessory, it can be tough to navigate hundreds of deals in order to find the one that will give you the most bang for your buck. Over at eBay Australia, they have plenty of PC deals to explore, from gaming PCs to wireless mesh routers that will allow you to mix business with pleasure.The best deal you can find at the moment is 20% off on eligible Microsoft products. You can score a solid discount on laptops, monitors and accessories by using t
  
  Read more

• All of the Sci-Fi, Adventure and Horror Movies Hitting Cinemas This Year in Australia

  10-05-2022 03:29
  
  After nearly two years of massive change for the global entertainment industry, we’re finally entering a period of relative stability. Numerous delays have seen movies pushed back again and again, but now that vaccine levels are high, and countries are starting to emerge from the COVID-induced fog, we finally have a clear view of the 2022 Australian movie release schedule.Over the last few months, many of the films that were scheduled for the back end of 2021 (some even from 2020) have bee
  
  Read more

• Kendrick Lamar Resurrects Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle as Deepfakes for His Music Video

  10-05-2022 03:11
  
  Kung Fu Kenny is coming back this year with a hot new album (Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers), but in the lead-up to that album’s release, we’ve been gifted a fresh new Kendrick Lamar beat — The Heart Part 5, featuring a slew of deepfakes.Yep, deepfakes.Kendrick loves to get creative with his work, with it not being a surprise to call him one of the greatest rappers in the game at the moment. Hell, his album Damn was the first non-jazz and non-classical album t
  
  Read more

• Why You Should Do a Factory Reset on All Your Older Tech

  10-05-2022 02:07
  
  Think about the tech in your life. Your phone, full of messages and photos; your computer, a perfectly balanced chaos of work and entertainment; your game console, with half-played games maxing out the internal storage. Your tech is well-used, and that’s a good thing. Now, delete it. Nuke your hard drives. Reset all of your tech to factory settings. Embrace the erase.No, I haven’t lost my mind. I’m not advocating for burning up your digital photos, or erasing all of your treasu
  
  Read more

• Scare Yourself Silly With These 5 TV Shows and Movies Streaming This Month on Shudder

  10-05-2022 01:41
  
  There’s a tonne of scary content streaming on Shudder in Australia this month, but we’ve narrowed it down to just five recommendations.Here’s what the team at Gizmodo Australia will be streaming on Shudder this month.Blair Witch (2016)First up on Gizmodo Australia’s recommendations for what’s streaming this month on Shudder is of course the 2016 Blair Witch. Blair Witch (also known as Blair Witch 3) is a found footage supernatural horror film directed by Adam Wingar
  
  Read more

• Here’s What We’re Expecting From Google I/O, and How You Can Tune In From Australia

  10-05-2022 00:38
  
  Thursday morning Google will hold its I/O developer conference, and in true being-over-the-other-side-of-the-world fashion, it’s a little early for us. 3 am to be exact.By the time you wake up, we’ll have news on what was announced, and bookmark this page, because we’ll update it with a summary of everything Google announced while you were sleeping.What is Google I/O?Google I/O is the search giant’s developer-focused conference. It’s where Google teases what it&rsqu
  
  Read more

• You Can Design Your Own ‘Official’ Emoji

  09-05-2022 08:55
  
  Have you ever been in the middle of composing a text message and scrolled through the emoji selection only to find that the one you need to express your emotion or situation seemingly doesn’t exist? If so — or if you simply have a great idea for a new emoji — now’s your chance: Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit organisation in charge of indexing emoji, is currently open to submissions.Here’s how to send in your own design or idea, and what the application entails.Ho
  
  Read more

• Sweet Streams Are Made Of These 6 Webcams

  09-05-2022 08:45
  
  If you’ve finally reached your limits with your laptop’s fuzzy built-in camera or you’re looking to take the leap into live-streaming, then it’s high time you bought yourself an external webcam.Whether you’re adding it to your home office setup or need something to capture video while on Twitch, an external webcam can instantly give you a boost in video quality that’ll make you appear more professional, no matter what you’re doing.Here are a few of our p
  
  Read more

• The Planets Are Aligning for Doctor Who in 2023

  09-05-2022 08:27
  
  Last night, the new Doctor Who was cast: Ncuti Gatwa.Who? The Doctor, silly.He’s a massively talented actor who has won awards and is known mostly for his work on Netflix’s Sex Education. Now, he’s on to play one of the most prestigious roles in British showbiz, up there with James Bond. He’s also taking the mantle as the first black Doctor, taking over from the first woman Doctor, Jodie Whittaker.And while I always get giddy and excited for a new Doctor being cast,
  
  Read more

• This Aussie Smartphone for Seniors Aims to Make Video Calls With Nan a Little Less Painful

  09-05-2022 07:47
  
  An Australian company has launched a new smartphone made for seniors, called the BigPurplePhone.The BigPurplePhone is specifically designed for older people struggling with technology, and its creators (James and Libby Henderson) say it’s simple enough to be used by dementia and Alzheimer’s sufferers.The Hendersons say BigPurplePhone was the result of being separated from their parents during COVID-19 lockdowns. Libby’s 85-year-old mother Janette couldn’t quite navigate v
  
  Read more

• Optus’ 4G NBN Alternative Now Has Unlimited Data (And Your First Month Free)

  09-05-2022 07:27
  
  Optus has refreshed its 4G home internet plans, giving them unlimited data. The plans previously maxed out at 500GB, so an unlimited allowance could be helpful for more demanding users looking to replace a subpar NBN connection.The unlimited data allowance comes with a trade-off, however: Optus’ 4G home internet plans now have their download speeds capped to 25Mbps. That makes it similar to an NBN 25 plan, and a good option for one or two people households.Optus’s 4G home wireless pl
  
  Read more

• Well, the Motorola Razr 3 Leak Sure Looks Like the Flip Phone Is Back

  09-05-2022 07:01
  
  Good news, Motorola fans. The Motorola Razr 3 has supposedly leaked online.By way of 91 Mobiles with the snaps, a photo of the Motorola Razr 3 has been shot and posted online.The device has been codenamed Maven and is expected to release sometime this Winter. Of course, we don’t know about local availability just yet.Here’s what the phone looks like.Image: 91mobilesOf course, take these pics with a grain of salt. While this very much could be the same phone that we see launched later
  
  Read more

Follow @Consumer_NewsAU on Twitter!