There are practical steps we can take right now to fix the banks. History suggests they'll never do it left to themselves.

This report focuses on a number of key issues in the current consumer protection system. The list of key issues is not intended to be comprehensive; rather, the report provides a 'snapshot' of concerns raised in evidence about consumer protections, or the lack thereof, in particular areas of the banking, insurance and financial services sector.

This technical paper, requested by the Royal Commission, examines aspects of the regulation of financial product and service providers in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States.

This research paper argues that any proposed policy action to manage conflicts of interest should ideally undergo further testing in the field in which it will be implemented to assess the likely real-world impact. This would improve the design of the policy and monitor the consequences, both intended on unintended, on both advisers and advisees.

Consumer education, self-regulation by banks, and even stronger enforcement efforts by government regulators all have failed to curb incidents of financial misconduct and unethical behaviour. This submission provides a possible solution that has so far been overlooked - sector-wide collective bargaining to establish uniform, ethical pay practices across the industry.