Australian Consumers Association
Encyclopedia
The Australian Consumers’ Association, which trades as CHOICE, is an Australia
n not for profit consumer organisation. It is a non-partisan organisation that was founded in 1959 which researches and campaigns on behalf of Australian consumers. It is similar to the Consumers Union
in the United States
and Which?
in the United Kingdom
, which are considered sister organisations.
The aim of the organisation is to provide up-to-date information across a wide range of consumer issues that allows individuals to make informed consumer decisions. It also lobbies for change on behalf of consumers when required. CHOICE tests and rates a range of products and services, including appliances, baby products, electronics and home entertainment, computers, food and health and financial products and services. More than 200,000 people subscribe to CHOICE and it is located in Marrickville
.
CHOICE buys all the products it tests on the open market and does not accept advertising. Its income is derived from subscriptions and from the sale of its publications and products. It does not receive ongoing funding from commercial, government or other organisations.
and the environment.
Ruby Hutchison
, MLC, the first woman to be elected to Western Australian upper house, had been receiving complaints from her constituents about the quality and value for money of goods. She knew of overseas consumer organizations in the US and UK so she found out how they worked with a view to creating something similar in Australia.
In 1959 Ruby travelled to Sydney to discuss her idea with a group of like-minded people, including Roland Thorp, Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Sydney. Discussions culminated at public meeting on 17 September 1959 at the Sydney Town Hall with the establishment of the Australasian Consumers’ Association, which was renamed the Australian Consumers’ Association in 1963. The primary aim was to produce a magazine that would inform consumers about their rights and about products, their value and safety.
The first magazine was launched in April 1960 and distributed to 500 subscribers. Membership grew quickly and in 1961 the organization was represented at an international Conference of Consumers’ Associations in The Hague, where it became a founding member of the International Organisation of Consumers Unions (IOCU — now Consumers International
, CI), along with the US, UK, Belgium and the Netherlands.
At first, the Australian Consumers' Association reprinted material from its UK and US counterparts. In 1962 it participated in the first international IOCU test (of watches). It also conducted tests in university labs outside work hours and established a scientific testing panel. The experts on the panel were responsible for one test each per year, which they’d oversee on behalf of the ACA and the organisation established a reputation for thoroughly verifying its test data.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n not for profit consumer organisation. It is a non-partisan organisation that was founded in 1959 which researches and campaigns on behalf of Australian consumers. It is similar to the Consumers Union
Consumers Union
Consumers Union is a non-profit organization best known as the publisher of Consumer Reports, based in the United States. Its mission is to "test products, inform the public, and protect consumers."...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Which?
Which?
Which? is a product-testing and consumer campaigning charity with a magazine, website and various other services run by Which? Ltd ....
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, which are considered sister organisations.
The aim of the organisation is to provide up-to-date information across a wide range of consumer issues that allows individuals to make informed consumer decisions. It also lobbies for change on behalf of consumers when required. CHOICE tests and rates a range of products and services, including appliances, baby products, electronics and home entertainment, computers, food and health and financial products and services. More than 200,000 people subscribe to CHOICE and it is located in Marrickville
Marrickville, New South Wales
Marrickville, a suburb of Sydney's Inner West is located 7 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the state of New South Wales, Australia and is the largest suburb in the Marrickville Council local government area...
.
CHOICE buys all the products it tests on the open market and does not accept advertising. Its income is derived from subscriptions and from the sale of its publications and products. It does not receive ongoing funding from commercial, government or other organisations.
Campaigns and policy
CHOICE also campaigns on behalf of consumers and is a representative on many national and state-based government committees, councils and independent bodies related to consumer rights and issues including food regulation and labelling, health and financial services, telecommunications and digital technology, standards codes, ecologically sustainable developmentEcologically sustainable development
Ecologically sustainable development is the environmental component of sustainable development. It can be achieved partially through the use of the precautionary principle, namely that if there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not...
and the environment.
History
Following World War II, the economy and population of Australia was booming, but it was becoming clear that consumers did not have much guidance or protection.Ruby Hutchison
Ruby Hutchison
Ruby Hutchison was the first woman elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council in 1954 serving until 1971. She also was a key figure in the establishment of the Australasian Consumers' Association in 1959 .-References:*ACA....
, MLC, the first woman to be elected to Western Australian upper house, had been receiving complaints from her constituents about the quality and value for money of goods. She knew of overseas consumer organizations in the US and UK so she found out how they worked with a view to creating something similar in Australia.
In 1959 Ruby travelled to Sydney to discuss her idea with a group of like-minded people, including Roland Thorp, Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Sydney. Discussions culminated at public meeting on 17 September 1959 at the Sydney Town Hall with the establishment of the Australasian Consumers’ Association, which was renamed the Australian Consumers’ Association in 1963. The primary aim was to produce a magazine that would inform consumers about their rights and about products, their value and safety.
The first magazine was launched in April 1960 and distributed to 500 subscribers. Membership grew quickly and in 1961 the organization was represented at an international Conference of Consumers’ Associations in The Hague, where it became a founding member of the International Organisation of Consumers Unions (IOCU — now Consumers International
Consumers International
Consumers International is the world federation of consumer groups that serves as the only independent and authoritative global voice for consumers...
, CI), along with the US, UK, Belgium and the Netherlands.
At first, the Australian Consumers' Association reprinted material from its UK and US counterparts. In 1962 it participated in the first international IOCU test (of watches). It also conducted tests in university labs outside work hours and established a scientific testing panel. The experts on the panel were responsible for one test each per year, which they’d oversee on behalf of the ACA and the organisation established a reputation for thoroughly verifying its test data.
Publications
The organization publishes several products including:- CHOICE MagazineChoice magazineCHOICE Magazine is a publication of the Australian Consumers' Association, a non-profit organisation founded in 1959 to research and advocate on behalf of Australian consumers. The organisation trades as CHOICE and is similar to Consumer Reports in the United States...
— a monthly magazine, published 11 times a year. - CHOICE Online — a free and subscription-based website. Subscriptions are automatically renewing unless requested otherwise.
- CHOICE Computer — a monthly magazine, published 11 times a year.
- CHOICE Health Reader — Reports on developments in the health area, published 10 times a year.
- CHOICE Books — various titles, including The CHOICE Guide to Baby Products and Sustainable House.
See also
- Australian Competition and Consumer CommissionAustralian Competition and Consumer CommissionThe Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is an independent authority of the Australia government. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Trade Practices Commission and the Prices Surveillance Authority to administer the Trade Practices Act 1974...
- Consumers' Federation of AustraliaConsumers' Federation of AustraliaThe Consumers' Federation of Australia is Australia's umbrella consumer advocacy group.-History:In the early 1960s the Australian Consumers Association unsuccessfully attempted to establish state and territory Branches. The first state or territory based consumer organisation was Canberra...
- Consumer protectionConsumer protectionConsumer protection laws designed to ensure fair trade competition and the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace. The laws are designed to prevent businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices from gaining an advantage over competitors and may provide additional...