The Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer and Chair of the Ministerial Council on Consumer Affairs (MCCA), the Honourable Chris Pearce MP, today reaffirmed the Australian Government’s commitment to leading the development of greater national consistency and harmonisation of the consumer policy framework.
“I am committed to working with my state and territory ministerial counterparts to achieve a nationally consistent framework that supports both consumers and industry. The Ministerial Council provides an invaluable forum in which the Australian Government can work with the states and territories to tackle important consumer issues.
“The contemporary marketplace is very dynamic. We need to ensure that an appropriate framework is in place to facilitate confident consumer participation in an evolving competitive market.
“The evolution of e-commerce as an everyday experience for many consumers means that we are no longer restricted to trading in local communities. The increasing importance of interstate and international transactions heightens the need for a consolidated national approach to consumer affairs.
“I believe the Australian Government is best placed to perform this leadership role. Going forward, all jurisdictions have committed themselves to the objective of harmonisation as part of the overall strategic agenda of the Council.
“The Australian Government believes that the states and territories remain best placed to administer fair trading laws on a day-to-day basis. We also recognise the importance of the national regulator in overseeing national competition and consumer related issues.
“I will continue to work with the states and territories, their respective fair trading offices, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and relevant consumer and business groups throughout the harmonisation process,” Mr Pearce said.
22 April 2005
Contact: Gillian Harvey 03 9887 3890 or 0411 567 060