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| Choice (organisation) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Choice |
| Type | Non-profit consumer advocacy |
| Founded | 1959 |
| Founder | Beatrice Faust |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Australia |
| Area served | Australia |
| Key people | Alan Kirkland |
| Products | Product testing, reviews, magazine |
Choice (organisation)
Choice is an Australian consumer advocacy group and product testing publisher established in 1959. It operates a national magazine, laboratory testing facilities, and a campaigning arm focused on consumer rights, product safety, and market transparency. Choice is known for rigorous comparative testing and for influencing public policy, regulatory action, and industry practices across sectors such as telecommunications, energy, food, and consumer electronics.
Choice was founded in 1959 amid global postwar movements for consumer protection, inspired by organizations such as the Consumers Union and the Which? movement in the United Kingdom. Early leadership included consumer advocates linked to Australian civic networks and women's movements like the Women's Electoral Lobby and figures associated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions. During the 1960s and 1970s Choice expanded its testing programs in parallel with regulatory developments driven by the Trade Practices Act 1974 and later the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. In subsequent decades Choice engaged with federal inquiries, submissions to the Parliament of Australia, and collaborative research with institutions such as the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and university consumer law clinics. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s Choice adapted to digital markets, confronting issues arising from platforms linked to eBay, Amazon (company), and emerging Telstra deregulation debates.
Choice operates as a not-for-profit organisation governed by a board of directors drawn from legal, scientific, and consumer advocacy backgrounds, with oversight mechanisms common to Australian charities and incorporated associations registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. Funding sources include membership subscriptions, sales of the Choice magazine and testing reports, philanthropic grants from foundations such as the Ian Potter Foundation and project-specific support from trusts, as well as limited commercial income from licensing. Choice has historically maintained editorial independence through conflict-of-interest policies modelled on standards used by organisations like the Australian Press Council and Public Interest Advocacy Centre. Its financial accountability is disclosed in annual reports submitted to regulators including the Australian Securities and Investments Commission when relevant.
Choice has campaigned on issues spanning consumer rights, product safety, and market regulation. High-profile campaigns have targeted practices by telecommunications providers such as Optus (company), mislabelling by food producers dealing with brands represented by Kraft Heinz and supermarket chains like Woolworths Group (Australia) and Coles Group. Choice has led advocacy for clearer energy comparison tools amid debates involving AEMO and energy retailers, and has pressured the Therapeutic Goods Administration on matters of health claims and medical device regulation. It has litigated or supported legal cases in courts including the High Court of Australia and lodged complaints with agencies such as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to address misleading advertising tied to multinational firms like Google and Facebook (Meta Platforms). Choice collaborates with international counterparts including Consumer Reports and Which? on cross-border issues such as product recalls coordinated with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Choice operates dedicated testing laboratories and commissions independent scientific analysis, employing methodologies comparable to standards set by bodies like Standards Australia and international testing protocols used by the ISO. Test programs cover appliances, automotive products referencing manufacturers such as Toyota, digital devices from firms including Apple Inc. and Samsung, and food hygiene assessments aligned with frameworks from the Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Choice publishes comparative star ratings, buying guides, and reproducible test results citing statistical approaches akin to those used in peer-reviewed research at universities such as the University of Melbourne. Its testing has prompted large-scale recalls and regulatory responses when results exposed safety defects in items sold by retailers including Harvey Norman.
Choice provides services to members including access to full test reports, legal advice on consumer rights through referrals, and online tools for comparing products and services. Membership tiers typically mirror subscription models used by magazine publishers like Murdoch Magazines but with not-for-profit pricing structures. Choice also offers webinars and workshops in partnership with academic centres such as the Griffith University consumer law initiatives, and operates helplines assisting members with disputes involving banks like Commonwealth Bank and insurers such as Insurance Australia Group.
Choice's influence is evident in policy changes, industry reform, and consumer awareness, with documented impacts on product labelling, warranty practices, and safety recalls coordinated with regulators like the Australian Competition Tribunal. Critics have contested Choice's testing methodologies and declared conflicts of interest in specific campaigns, drawing responses from the organisation defending its peer-reviewed protocols and transparency practices. Retailers and manufacturers such as LG Electronics and Nestle have at times disputed Choice findings, leading to public debate involving media outlets including the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) and commercial networks like the Nine Network.
Choice publishes the monthly Choice magazine and produces specialist reports and buyer's guides, akin to publications by Consumer Reports and Which?. Notable special editions have covered topics from smartphone safety to energy plan comparisons and have won recognition from journalism bodies such as the Walkley Awards and consumer journalism prizes administered by the Maddocks Prize frameworks. Choice has also received industry commendations for investigative reporting and consumer advocacy from organisations including the Australian Consumers Association and awards acknowledging excellence in public interest research.
Category:Consumer organisations in Australia