Indigenous consumers continue to face some of the most outrageous selling tactics, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Chairman Rod Sims.
Delivering his annual speech in Sydney on Tuesday, Mr Sims said that Indigenous consumer protection will be a top priority for the year.
"It's a significant change to our policy recognising that Indigenous consumers, particularly those living in remote areas, continue to face challenges in asserting their consumer rights." Mr Sims said.
"The ACCC has already taken action against businesses selling training courses, portrait photography, first aid kits and tax return services to Indigenous people."
He said that the emphasis now was to "detect more breaches of the law at an earlier stage" through closer collaboration with Indigenous communities and other support agencies.
The ACCC is an independent Commonwealth statutory authority whose role is to enforce the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, and to ensure fair trading and regulation of national infrastructure for all Australians.
There are currently 20 investigations under way across Australia with criminal prosecutions expected to follow.
