Inter-agency and national committees
The NSW Office of Fair Trading participates in a range of inter-agency and national committees. The most significant of these are listed below.
The Ministerial Council on Consumer Affairs (MCCA)
The Ministerial Council on Consumer Affairs (MCCA) consists of all Commonwealth, State, Territory and New Zealand Ministers responsible for fair trading, consumer protection laws and credit laws.
The role of MCCA is to consider consumer affairs and fair trading matters of national significance and, where possible, develop a consistent approach to those issues.
Generally, the Ministers meet once a year, and there are also several sub-committees that meet throughout the year to discuss specific aspects of consumer protection.
The Ministerial Council on Consumer Affairs (MCCA) website
The Standing Committee of Officials of Consumer Affairs (SCOCA)
The Standing Committee of Officials of Consumer Affairs (SCOCA) is the pre-eminent sub committee of the Ministerial Council on Consumer Affairs. The Standing Committee is represented by all chief executive officers from fair trading jurisdictions in each State and Territory as well as the Australian Government and New Zealand. Under SCOCA, there are four advisory committees and a taskforce which deal with different aspects of consumer protection. These are outlined below.
The Fair Trading Operations Advisory Committee (FTOAC)
The Fair Trading Operations Advisory Committee (FTOAC) is made up of consumer protection agency compliance officers and provides advice on the enforcement of consumer laws and fair trading operational issues.
The Consumer Products Advisory Committee (CPAC)
The Consumer Products Advisory Committee (CPAC) consists of consumer product safety officers and provides policy advice on product safety standards, bans and recalls.
The Trade Measurement Advisory Committee (TMAC)
The Trade Measurement Advisory Committee (TMAC) is made up of consumer trade measurement officers and provides advice on technical and enforcement issues associated with trade measurement.
The Uniform Consumer Credit Code Management Committee (UCCCMC)
The Uniform Consumer Credit Code Management Committee (UCCCMC) consists of credit and policy officers from consumer agencies and deals with matters relating to the management of the Uniform Consumer Credit Code, the nationally-consistent law which regulates consumer credit in Australia.
The Uniform Consumer Credit Code Management Committee (UCCCMC) website
Education and Information Taskforce
The Education and Information Taskforce consists of consumer education officers who work together to help identify, develop and implement new strategies to empower the consumer.
National Indigenous Consumer Strategy (NICS) Reference Group
The NSW Office of Fair Trading is a member of the National Indigenous Consumer Strategy (NICS) Reference Group, which also includes Indigenous non-government representatives. With other state, territory and Commonwealth consumer agencies, the Office of Fair Trading is committed to working co-operatively on the issues and actions identified in the Strategy's action plan for ensuring that Australia's performance in Indigenous consumer affairs is continually improved and beneficial outcomes for Indigenous consumers are achieved.