Keeping Up with the Consumer Law

Have you been living under a rock? If yes, then this might be the podcast episode for you. On Thursday 14 August, the Federal Court released its highly anticipated judgment in the matter of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Coles Supermarkets [2026] FCA 598. Join the Joels as they work their way through the allegations Coles was facing, the law the conduct and marketing practice...

Ever wondered what the priorities of the ACCC are? Well in this episode of Consumer Law Bites you get Lisk's real time reactions to seeing the ACCC's 2025 Compliance and Enforcement Priorities. In this episode, you with hear Lisk stumble his way through the various priority and focus areas from his kitchen with its poor acoustic qualities and horrible echo. It's a great reminder that e...

How often do you sit down to read the Australian Consumer Law? We do it all the time because it brings some excitement to our boring lawyer lives. If you're a business operator it might be a good idea to give it a read. In this episode Dr Joel Lisk keeps you up with the consumer law events associated with Booktopia and their non-compliant practices. Want more details? Of course: 'Booktopia to pay...

Welcome to Keeping Up with the Consumer Law Bites - where we keep you up with the Australian Consumer Law with smaller, bite sized episodes. Sometimes it is important to remember that the Australian Consumer Law isn't a flower. It isn't there one moment and gone the next, it is an actual Australian law and it applies all the time. In 2024, two florists learnt this the expensive way. Bloome...

On February 8, Keeping Up with the Consumer Law went live and in person at The Suburban Brew in Adelaide. In this recording of that event, join regular hosts Joel Grieger and Joel Lisk as they tackle the big consumer law issues with three expert guests; Alexandra Douvartzidis, Katherine Temple and Dr Mark Giancaspro. About Our Expert Guests Alexandra Douvartzidis.  Alexandra is a Senior Associate...

Have you missed the Joels ramble on about consumer law? Well don’t we have a massive end of year surprise for you: the Keeping Up with the Consumer Law Extravaganza! In this episode Joel Grieger and Joel Lisk try to run through some of the major consumer law news that has happened since the last episode of the 2023 season from August. So, what do the Joels cover? Well, in 23 minutes they cover the...

Welcome to episode 15 of Keeping Up with the Consumer Law, the last episode of Season 1. In this episode we are joined by Nick Heys, Executive Director of Coordination and Strategy at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to talk through a range of topics from how the ACCC select the matters they pursue, greenwashing and influencers. This is the fifteenth episode of Keeping Up with th...

If life is like a box of chocolates, then wealth is like a pyramid. Pyramids have played an important part in the history of human kind – the Great Pyramids of Giza, the 5 food groups, the illuminati. But some aren’t so joyfully received and are even banned by the Australian Consumer Law.    In this episode of Keeping Up with the Consumer Law, Grieger tries to walk us through one of the more inter...

The Australian Consumer Law can be useful for a range of circumstances, even extremely personal ones. In Episode 13 of Keeping Up with the Consumer Law, Grieger walks us through the sensitive case of ACCC v AMI.   Following one of the most prominent and memorable advertising campaigns of the 2000s, characterised by the line “Want Longer Lasting Sex?”, the ACCC commenced proceedings against Advance...

It is important to recall that safety is essential and in this 12th episode of Keeping Up with the Consumer Law, the two Joels work their way through the 2022 case of ACCC v Mercedes-Benz. Following several incidents of serious injuries and deaths, in 2018 a mandatory recall commenced in connection with Takata manufactured airbags. Airbags had been installed in approximately 3 million vehicles in...

Sometimes outsourcing is a good thing. In Episode 11 of Keeping Up with the Consumer Law, the Joels try to answer your questions by speaking to consumer law experts. Massive thank you to our experts for their time and finding answers to the burning questions. Our experts were: Will Mellor, Barrister at Nexus Chambers Anna Lacey, Associate Director at Cowell Clarke   Dr Mark Giancaspro, Senior Lect...

Luxury awaits as we cruise on through Episode 10 of Keeping Up with the Consumer Law. In this episode the Joels explore the case of Moore v Scenic Tours Pty Ltd and how the consumer guarantees can apply to services like holidays. In 2013, due to heavy and damaging rain in Europe many luxury river cruises were significantly impacted due to the rivers in which they travel breaking their banks or sim...

In this episode, join the Joels as they race into the precarious chicane that is the consumer guarantees and second-hand cars. While it might be unexpected, second-hand goods (including cars) receive the benefits of the consumer guarantees when sold by a business. Prestige Auto Traders Australia Pty Ltd v Bonnefin [2017] NSWSC 149 explores exactly this situation. The Bonnefins purchased a second-h...

In this episode, the Joels have a chat about caravans – or, caravans with lots of problems - when they hitch their cars up to the case that is ACCC v Jayco. (Lisk might struggle, Mazda 2’s aren’t great for towing) In 2017, the ACCC commenced an action against Australian’s caravan manufacturer Jayco Corporation Pty Ltd (Jayco) alleging that they had engaged in unconscionable conduct by obstructing...

In this episode, the Joels wade into the realm of the consumer guarantees and gaming, examining the facts behind the landmark case of ACCC v Valve Corporation that confirmed the extension of consumer guarantee rights (and the broader Australian Consumer Law) to businesses overseas operating into Australia. In 2014, the ACCC commenced proceedings against Valve Corporation – the United States based...

Can the Australian Consumer Law handle ChatGPT and other generative AI services? Well, that’s a question the Joels pose to ACL expert, Professor Jeannie Paterson in the first of their ‘Time for an Expert’ interviews.    Professor Paterson is the Director of Centre for AI and Digital Ethics and a Professor of Law at the University of Melbourne. Jeannie’s expertise lies in the areas of consumer prot...

Episode Five of Keeping Up with the Consumer Law has the Joels dive into the realm of pain relief and packaging with the case of ACCC v GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Australia Pty Ltd (we’re just going with “GSK”).  In 2017, the ACCC commenced proceedings against the entities responsible for the Voltaren Emulgel and Osteo Gel products for misleading or deceptive conduct. The two products had...

In this Episode Four of Keeping Up with the Consumer Law, the Joel’s crack the complexity dial up a couple of notches with the case of ACCC v Trivago.  In 2018, the ACCC commenced proceedings against Trivago using several provisions of the Australian Consumer Law, broadly alleging that aspects of Trivago’s website and marketing were liable to mislead consumers. In 2020, a single judge of the Feder...

Join Joel Grieger and Joel Lisk for episode 3 of Keeping Up with the Consumer Law and a discussion about the intriguing case of ACCC v Lorna Jane. In July 2020, Lorna Jane began advertising a product line under the name of “LJ Shield Activewear”. Being at the height of some of the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, this activewear was described as being able to eliminate viruses including COVID...

In this second episode, join Joel Grieger and Joel Lisk for a discussion of the 2022 case of Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Uber . This episode, the first of Keeping Up with the Consumer Law’s case-focused episodes explores how Uber ended up paying $3 million in penalties for overestimating taxi fares and $18 million for the short sentence “You may be charged a small fee since yo...

In this first episode of Keeping Up with the Consumer Law , join Joel Grieger and Joel Lisk for a discussion on what the Australian Consumer Law is, how it works, who it applies to and some of the protections it includes. So… want the tl:dl (too long; didn’t listen)? The Australian Consumer Law (ACL) is a series of rules and principles that apply to nearly all transactions occurring in Australia,...