ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court to address communications industry on 16 February 2012

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sarah use1.jpgACCC Commissioner Sarah Court will address a gathering of 100 marketing communications industry leaders on 16 February 2012, as AANA strives to promote the role of advertising in a healthy, competitive marketplace.

 

Important changes to the regulatory landscape for marketers include:

– new national consumer laws

– changes to the consumer guarantees legislation

– recent legal decisions on misleading and deceptive advertising

– powers for the ACCC to require traders to substantiate advertising claims

 

In July the Federal Court handed down its largest civil penalty ever in a consumer protection case ($5.26 million) against Optus for false and misleading advertising in relation to mobile broadband speeds.

 

The ACCC has also flagged its intention to closely monitor advertising in relation to the new Clean Energy legislation and to track down and punish those who attempt to make false or misleading claims about the impact of the carbon price on their prices.

Ms. Court’s address comes at a time when many advertisers in the fast moving consumer goods sector are struggling to compete in a grocery retail market dominated by two major players.

 

Says AANA CEO Scott McClellan: “It’s important for industry leaders to be across the major competition and consumer issues affecting the advertising sector. The AANA Congress, which is by invitation only, will be a chance for them to get up to speed in this important area of business risk management.

 

It will also be interesting to discuss how industry self-regulation – in particular the AANA Codes – fit into the regulatory framework for advertising.”