Most commonly known as CHOICE (all capitals), the Australian Consumers' Association is an Australian

not for profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

consumer advocacy organisation. It is an independent membership based organisation founded in 1959 that researches and campaigns on behalf of Australian consumers. It is similar to the

Consumers Union A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and

Which? ''Which?'' is a United Kingdom brand name that promotes informed consumer choice in the purchase of goods and services by testing products, highlighting inferior products or services, raising awareness of consumer rights and offering independe ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, who are considered sister organisations. It is the largest consumer organisation in Australia.

Operations

CHOICE's job is to stand up against companies doing the wrong thing. 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 the ''CHOICE'' magazine. In 2003, revenue for the organisation was over $10m and by 2019 had grown to over $20m. It is a multi-faceted business with a staff of 80, which includes the scientists and technicians who test the products, policy specialists who devise campaigns, lobby politicians and speak on issues, as well as the journalists who write for ''CHOICE'' magazine. CHOICE buys most of the products it tests on the open market. Its income is mainly derived from subscriptions and from the sale of its publications and products.

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 Labelling or using a label is describing someone or something in a word or short phrase. For example, the label "criminal" may be used to describe someone who has broken a law. Labelling theory is a theory in sociology which ascribes labelling ...

, health and financial services, telecommunications and digital technology, standards codes,

ecologically sustainable development Ecologically sustainable development is the environmental component of sustainable development. It can be achieved partially through the use of the precautionary principle; if there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental damage, lack ...

and the environment. The organisation also holds the annual " Shonky Awards" that highlight dubious or dishonest behaviour. They name and shame that year's most suspect products and companies. Every year CHOICE and the

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is the chief competition regulator of the Government of Australia, located within the Department of the Treasury. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Trad ...

host the Ruby Hutchison Memorial Lecture presenting consumer and rights topics.

History

Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, 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 Florence Hutchison (15 February 1892 – 17 December 1974) was an Australian politician. She was a Labor Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1954 to 1971, representing Suburban Province (1954–1965) and North-E ...

, the first woman to be elected to the

Western Australian Legislative Council The Western Australian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Western Australia, a state of Australia. It is regarded as a house of review for legislation passed by the Legislative Assembly, the lower house. The two Houses ...

, had been receiving complaints from her constituents about the quality and value for money of goods. She knew of overseas consumer organisations in the US and UK, so she found out how they worked with a goal of creating something similar in Australia. By the late 1950s there was an increase in market competition, a fall in product standards and what was seen as industry-wide manipulation by marketers. It was in this context that in 1959 Hutchison 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 The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...

. Discussions culminated at public meeting on 17 September 1959 at the

Sydney Town Hall The Sydney Town Hall is a late 19th-century heritage-listed town hall building in the city of Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales, Australia, housing the chambers of the Lord Mayor of Sydney, council offices, and venues for meetings an ...

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 organisation was represented at an international Conference of Consumers’ Associations in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

, where it became a founding member of the International Organisation of Consumers Unions (IOCU — now

Consumers International Consumers International is the membership organization for consumer groups around the world. Founded on 1 April 1960, it has over 250 member organizations in 120 countries. Its head office is situated in London, England, and has numerous region ...

, CI), along with consumer organisations in 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. In 1983, CHOICE moved from Chippendale to

Marrickville Marrickville is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Marrickville is located south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the largest suburb in the Inner West Council local gove ...

, where its head office and laboratories are still located.

List of chairpeople

*Justice Paul Stein 1974-1986

Wayne Haylen Wayne Roger Haylen QC is a Judge of the New South Wales Industrial Court. Education Haylen was educated at Canterbury Boys High School before attending the University of Sydney. He founded the Youth Campaign Against Conscription and in Sep ...

1988–1994 * Chris Field 2002–2006 * Jenni Mack 2006–2013 * Nicole Rich 2013–2017 * Sandra Davey 2017–2020 * Anita Tang and Robert Southerton, co-chair 2020–present

''CHOICE'' magazine

''CHOICE'' is a publication of the Australian consumer organisation of that name, a non-profit organisation founded in 1959 (as the Australian Consumers Association) to research and advocate on behalf of Australian consumers.

History and profile

''CHOICE'' was established in 1960 by Ruby Hutchison and Roland Thorp. The magazine tests and compares different consumer products and services and reports their findings. It is published eleven times per year. The headquarters is in Marrickville, New South Wales.

Other publications

The organisation publishes several products including: * ''CHOICE'' magazine — a monthly magazine, published eleven times a year. * ''CHOICE Computer'' — a magazine, published six times a year. * ''CHOICE Health Reader'' — Reports on developments in the health area, published ten times a year. * ''CHOICE Books'' — various titles, including ''The CHOICE Guide to Baby Products'' and ''Sustainable House''.

The Shonky Awards

CHOICE also holds the annual "Shonky Awards" that highlight dubious or dishonest behaviour from companies. The awards help consumers to identify the worst of the worst, and name and shame that year's shonkiest products and companies. "Shonky" is Australian slang meaning "unreliable, unsound, dishonest, poor or of dubious quality; shoddy".

Notable past Shonky Award winners

*Retailer Harvey Norman - 2020 - for their partnership with Latitude Finance, which Choice called "one of Australia's most predatory finance companies". It was revealed vulnerable people with low financial literacy had been signed up to credit cards in-store. *The Australian

pet insurance Pet insurance is a form of insurance that pays, partly or in total, for veterinary treatment of the insured person's ill or injured pet. Some policies will pay out when the pet dies, or if the pet is lost or stolen. As veterinary medicine is in ...

industry - 2019 - "For catch-22 pet insurance whose conditions make it worthless". "Bad insurance riddled with exclusions". *The Ikea Nedkyld refrigerator - 2019 - "Failed on so many fronts", "it uses a lot more electricity than it claims on its energy star rating label. It's also one of the worst performing fridges we've seen", "you're also going to be paying extra for replacing all the spoiled food". *The

KitchenAid KitchenAid is an American home appliance brand owned by Whirlpool Corporation. The company was started in 1919 by The Hobart Manufacturing Company to produce stand mixers; the "H-5" was the first model introduced. The company faced competition a ...

2-Slice toaster - 2018 - ($189) "Loaded it, and waited for the familiar pop, only to pluck out slightly dried, warm bread - even on the highest browning setting". * The Australian divisions of

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked among the 10 largest Japanese ...

, BMW and

Mazda , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...

- 2017 - "For repeatedly failing to disclose a safety device that can actually kill you. The recall of

Takata airbag was a Japanese automotive parts company. The company had production facilities on four continents, with its European headquarters located in Germany.Anghel, Alexandru (December 10, 2009)."Takata Petri hires 1,000 people in half a year in Arad and ...

s". * Nature's Way Kids Smart natural medicines - 2012 - "This range of homeopathic 'remedies' for children was deemed "an affront to public health and medical science". * Peachy Pink briefs - 2011 - "Peach-infused super-tight pants also got a nod, with their "clinically-proven" weight loss effect. The ethos of the test lab behind the clinical trial, Spincontrol Laboratories, didn't exactly fill us with confidence". *The

Power Balance Power Balance is the original brand of hologram bracelets claimed by its manufacturers and vendors to use "holographic technology" to "resonate with and respond to the natural energy field of the body" to increase athletic performance. Numerous ...

wristband - 2010 - "The only power this bracelet seems to have, placebo effect notwithstanding, is in tipping its distributor's bank balance well and truly into the black". *

L'Oréal L'Oréal S.A. () is a French personal care company headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine with a registered office in Paris. It is the world's largest cosmetics company and has developed activities in the field concentrating on hair color, ...

Elvive - 2009 - "With their dizzying names for miracle ingredients proven in so-called clinical trials - which they clarify in the fine print as 'consumer perception' studies." *

Nutella Nutella (; ; ) is a brand of sweetened hazelnut cocoa spread. Nutella is manufactured by the Italian company Ferrero and was first introduced in 1964, although its first iteration dates to 1963. History Pietro Ferrero owned a bakery in Alba, ...

Hazelnut Spread - 2007 - "'Less fat than most peanut butters, less sugar than most jam' say the ads. Maybe, but equally it contains more sugar than most peanut butters and more fat than jam". Two of the 2017 Shonky Award finalists were referred on to the

for alleged breaches of Australian Consumer Law. Finalist Coles Complete Cuisine cat food was referred on for misleading labelling and contradictory claims in the small print. Also, finalist Nature's Way (Pharmacare) Kids Smart Vita Gummies was referred on for potentially misleading consumers about the supplement's health benefits for children and failing to list the amount of sugar contained in each serving.

Controversy

In 2018 the company Australian Hearing was prosecuted and fined for multiple breaches of competition and consumer laws. At the time of the breaches in 2017, the company was led by Bill Davidson who at the time was also the Deputy Chairman of CHOICE. CHOICE issued a statement rebuking Australian Hearing's actions after Davidson had left Australian Hearing in early 2018.

References

External links

* CHOICE * CHOICE's Annua
Shonky Awards
{{Consumer protection Consumer organisations in Australia Members of Consumers International 1959 establishments in Australia Organizations established in 1959 Monthly magazines published in Australia Consumer magazines Magazines established in 1960