Faculty of Law

The Consumer Research Unit provides an independent voice on consumer issues.

With the continuing support of the  Western Australian Department of Commerce, the Unit aims to improve the understanding of consumer markets and consumer protection frameworks.

The Consumer Research Unit offers short courses and workshops in current consumer law issues.

Workshop

• Current Issues in Consumer Law and Policy (27 - 30 September 2011)

Current activities

• Assoc/Professor Eileen Webb and Assist/Profess Avivia Freilich jointly presented a paper entitled “Unexpected consequences of reforms to consumer credit law in Australia” at the International Association of Consumer Law, Brunel University, June 2011.
• Assoc/Professor Eileen Webb and Assist/Profess Avivia Freilich jointly presented sessions on the new Australian Consumer Law and credit legislation to several Perth law firms.
• Assoc/Prof Webb has a paper accepted for the 9th Asia / Oceania Congress of Geriatrics and Gerontology. The conference theme is “Ageing well together: Regional perspectives” and the paper is titled: “Security of tenure for Western Australia’s ageing population – Is the law keeping pace with the housing and accommodation issues affecting Western Australian seniors?” 
• Assoc/Prof Webb has been invited to present a paper at the "International Responses to Crisis: Credit, Over-indebtedness and Insolvency" Symposium. A book of the papers from the Symposium will be published by Oxford University Press in early 2012.

• Project to help refugees and migrants avoid phone trap  Graduate Law student, Alicia Snyders and Associate Professor Eileen Webb, with the assistance of the Edmund Rice Centre, Mirrabooka, are researching alleged instances of misconduct engaged in by some telecommunications companies towards migrants and humanitarian entrants in Perth.
  
• Marketing toys to school children
  Advisory Board member, Dr Simone Pettigrew featured prominently in a Stateline (ABC 1) report on the widespread practice of marketing toys to school children using "book clubs". Dr Pettigrew has also been interviewed on this issue by local, state and national newspapers.