Mackay Chapman June 2025 ACCC Update

In this month’s ACCC update:

• Thermomix pays penalties for misleading claims about NDIS endorsement
• $30.4 million penalties for Captain Cook College and partners
• Job scam fusion cell cracks down on fake job networks targeting Australians
• ACCC grants interim authorisation to Australian Payments Network Limited and Australian Payments Plus Limited

Keep reading for more information and key details.

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Thermomix pays penalties for misleading claims about NDIS endorsement

Vorwerk Australia, trading as Thermomix, has paid $79,200 in penalties after the ACCC found it falsely claimed two products, the Thermomix TM6 and Kobold vacuum, were endorsed by the NDIS. 

The company used the terms ‘NDIS approved’ and ‘NDIS assistive technology’ on its website, implying official endorsement that doesn’t exist.

ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said the NDIS doesn’t approve specific products, and funding is decided on a case-by-case basis, and that misleading vulnerable consumers won’t be tolerated.

The ACCC’s NDIS Taskforce targets misleading advertising and unfair pricing. 

$30.4 million penalties for Captain Cook College and partners

The Federal Court has ordered Captain Cook College to pay $20 million in penalties for systemic unconscionable conduct and $750,000 for misleading students about online diploma courses under the former VET FEE-HELP loan program. 

The college removed consumer safeguards in 2015, resulting in around 5,500 students accumulating over $60 million in debts despite little or no course engagement. 86% never even logged in. 

The government eventually waived these debts and withheld payments from the college. 

Captain Cook’s parent company, Site Group, was fined $10 million, and former COO Blake Wills was fined $400,000 and disqualified from managing corporations for three years. 

The court dismissed appeals by the college, Site Group, and Wills. 

Job scam fusion cell cracks down on fake job networks targeting Australians

The National Anti-Scam Centre’s Job Scam Fusion Cell removed over 29,000 scam social media accounts and 1,850 fake job ads in a major crackdown on employment scams preying on vulnerable Australians. 

Operating from September 2024 to March 2025, the task force united government, law enforcement, academia, and private sector partners to tackle the rising trend. 

Job scam losses accounted for $13.7 million in 2024 alone. These scams disproportionately affected low-income groups, culturally diverse communities, international students, and others with limited employment options. 

Key actions included collaborating with Meta to remove scam accounts, blocking scammer cryptocurrency wallets, removing fake websites, disrupting impersonation of government entities, and running awareness campaigns aimed at at-risk groups. 

The fusion cell’s efforts led to a near-elimination of scams impersonating healthcare providers by March 2025. 

ACCC grants interim authorisation to Australian Payments Network Limited and Australian Payments Plus Limited

On 21 February 2025, Australian Payments Network Limited (AusPayNet) and Australian Payments Plus Limited (AP+) asked for permission to talk and share information with the Reserve Bank of Australia, Treasury, and other industry groups. 

The goal is to create a shared plan for the future of account-to-account payments in Australia and agree on how to make it happen.

The ACCC gave temporary approval to AusPayNet, AP+, members of the Bulk Electronic Clearing System (BECS) and New Payments Platform, and other related businesses. This approval lets them start planning, collecting information, and setting up processes. 

However, they are not allowed to hold meetings or make any final decisions about the plan yet. 

More information is available here.

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The contents of this article do not constitute legal advice and it is not intended to be a substitute for legal advice and should not be relied upon as such.  It is designed and intended as general information in summary form, current at the time of publication, for general informational purposes only.  You should seek legal advice or other professional advice in relation to any particular legal matters you or your organisation may have.