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Financial hardship information will be exposed on consumers’ credit reports for the first time after the passing of a bill on credit reporting.
The
National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment (Mandatory Credit Reporting and Other Measures) Bill 2019 was passed yesterday and would establish a mandatory comprehensive credit reporting regime and provide that a credit provider could not refuse to provide further credit or reduce a customer’s credit limit because financial hardship information existed.
However, Financial Rights Legal Centre chief executive, Karen Cox, was concerned the visibility of their hardship information would deter people from seeking assistance. Information would be retained for 12 months regardless of the time spent in hardship, a particularly important fact when thousands were forced to take hardship deferrals during the recent COVID-19 pandemic which could later affect their credit rating.