"Naming and shaming": First Public Warning Notice Issued by ACCC

The national competition regulator, the ACCC, has begun to flex its muscles and for the first time has exercised its new power to "name and shame" businesses which it suspects have misled the public and pose a real threat to unsuspecting consumers.

In this case, three companies placed advertisements in different newspapers offering a business for sale. The advertisements all related to a parcel delivery business which involved the delivery of "Heartlink" branded products to supermarkets. The companies claimed in the advertisements that potential business owners could earn between $900 and $1,200 per week for part-time work, in return for an initial investment of between $10,000 and $30,000. In practice, none of the purchasers achieved the claimed earnings and in fact, most of the purchasers received no income.