Calls grow for banks to fund legal aid in cases of customer disputes


READ MORE

A push to get banks to fund legal aid for banking disputes is gaining momentum, as Coalition MPs listen to the pleas of victims of financial misconduct in the wake of a scathing interim report from the banking royal commission.


Customers have struggled to match the legal power of the big banks, while consumer action law centres are turning away thousands of cases each year. The Commonwealth funding agreement for consumer law centres prohibits them from acting for small businesses or sole traders, including many farmers, and limits them to acting on behalf of individuals.


Michael Sanderson has been lobbying for bank-funded legal aid: This really needs to happen at the top of the cliff.

Michael Sanderson has been lobbying for bank-funded legal aid: “This really needs to happen at the top of the cliff.”


Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Frustrated with the mediation service of the Financial Ombudsman, the Bank Reform Now Advisory Panel, a victim lobby group, has called for a legal aid service that would advocate on behalf of victims who allege they have been mistreated by financial services firms.


Legal aid is generally only available to individuals in criminal cases, while the majority of litigation involving banks are civil proceedings, leaving victims with the underfunded consumer action law centres as one of the few cost-effective avenues of legal advice outside of the dispute resolution mechanism of the ombudsman.


Michael Sanderson, who represents the 13,000 members of the Bank Reform Now Advisory Panel, said financial service victims need timely and affordable access to redress through a separate bank-funded legal aid scheme.


Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sbsnews-topstories/~3/xTtfjANYino/nsw-residents-told-its-too-late-leave-out-control-fire-takes-hold-south-coast

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

One Nation's Malcolm Roberts wants migration rate more than halved

Image
READ MORE Australia’s yearly intake of skilled migrants and their families should be radically cut to just 70,000, according to One Nation’s top Senate candidate in Queensland. The current cap has been set at 190,000 since 2011, but the actual intake fell to its lowest level in a decade under the Coalition government  during the past financial year, with just 163,000 permanent arrivals. Mr Roberts will lead the One Nation ticket in the Senate in the party’s traditional stronghold state of Queensland at the next federal election, which is due to take place by May. He was ejected from parliament earlier in the year when the High Court found he held a dual citizenship, in breach of Section 44 of the Constitution. Party leader Pauline Hanson has a six-year term and her seat will not be in contested. One Nation is known for its anti-immigration policies, but will need to compete with rivals like Katter’s Australia Party, whose members have called for a public vote on a potential return to
Read more

World Cup Central: Dhoni, Akhtar, Botham in All Blacks all-time cricket XV

READ MORE Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print World Cup fever has crossed platforms. There was Harry Kane sneaking into India’s training sessions to meet Virat Kohli. And now there’s the All Blacks picking a XV made up of past and present cricketers. With the @cricketworldcup underway in England, we’ve taken a look at all the best players from past and present to select the ultimate Cricket XV! SQUAD NOTES https://t.co/B3rnj5OBuJ #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/KuUtPU77PT — All Blacks (@AllBlacks) June 2, 2019 And they’ve got some pretty cool reasons for picking some pretty cool players. Curtly Ambrose : If anyone wants to argue with this selection then take it up with Sir Curtly himself. We dare you. MS Dhoni : The Richie McCaw of Cricket. Enough said. Dwayne Leverock : Famous for his one-handed catch at the 2003 World Cup, the 130kg Bermudian would surely make just as big a splash on the rugby field. Jofra Archer runs in to bowl  Getty Images June 1 Archer the fastes
Read more

Banned Bancroft's journey of self-discovery

Image
READ MORE © Getty Images Spanish lessons, yoga and a host of community work have all been part of the path taken by Cameron Bancroft since the Newlands ball-tampering scandal. The Australia batsman has been looking to seek the sort of perspective and self-knowledge that will prevent him from following the kind of instructions issued to him by David Warner in the Cape Town dressing room. Bancroft spoke in Perth on Saturday ahead of his return to cricket via Twenty20 and 50-over appearances in the Northern Territory, where he will also endeavour to work closely in developing local talent. It’s the next step on the path away from Newlands as Bancroft serves a nine-month ban from the game imposed by Cricket Australia under its code of conduct. Perspective on life was greatly needed as Bancroft, Warner and the former captain Steven Smith pondered what evolved in South Africa, and Bancroft said he had spent plenty of time devoting himself broadening his own knowledge and also to the servi
Read more