"Unfair Contracts" Bill Introduced into Parliament
On 24 June 2009, the Australian Government introduced the Trade Practices Amendment (Australian Consumer Law) Bill to implement a new single national consumer law for standard form consumer contracts relating to the supply of goods, services or interests in land. The Bill applies to contracts entered into with individuals for their personal or domestic household use or consumption, renders void any "unfair" terms in contracts of this nature, and introduces sweeping new enforcement powers and consumer remedies under the Trade Practices Act 1974 (TPA). If passed, the Bill will present challenges for suppliers under these consumer contracts, including revising contractual terms prior to the intended start date of 1 January 2010. For further information, please see our
client alert.
This article is one of several that appear in
LegalBytes Newsletter, August 2009.