Misleading Advertisements PDF Download

Misleading job and business opportunity advertisements cause job seekers a great deal of hardship and difficulty. Even worse, some scams are dressed up as job opportunities and can actually cost job seekers money. Young people and people whose native language is not English are especially at risk. Misleading job and business opportunity advertisements carry heavy penalties under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), which is contained in a schedule to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, ranging up to $1.1 million for the most serious breaches. The ACL is applicable nationally to all states and territories. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (the ACCC) does not hesitate to take action when businesses are taking advantage of job seekers, particularly when those affected are vulnerable or disadvantaged. This manual is produced in cooperation with Job Watch and the Australian Publishers' Bureau. It has been designed to help advertising staff of newspapers, websites and other places where job advertisements are found, to stop the publishing of misleading job and business opportunity ads. It explains the key requirements under the ACL clearly and concisely, and provides examples of advertisements that might contravene the ACL. There is also a checklist provided at the end to which staff can refer when assessing advertisements, as well as a list of contacts who can assist. Publishers are the first line of defence against misleading or deceptive advertisements and can help by: examining advertisements for misleading content, placing accepted advertisements in the most appropriate category. collecting enough information on advertisers so that they can be located. Publishers can ensure that most misleading advertisements are modified or eliminated before they ever reach job seekers. The job 'advertisements' produced in this publication are entirely fictitious. Any resemblance to advertisements actually placed is coincidental. No reference to real individuals or organisations is intended. .