Homeowners and renters looking for help from locksmiths are being warned to be wary of a business alleged to have charged higher than advertised prices, forced consumers into making payments and overall provided unsatisfactory services.
Our Acting Director, Rhys Benny, has issued a public warning about Wise Tech Services Pty Ltd (ACN: 667 832 377) which trades as Victorian-based business Pick & Lock.
Pick & Lock provides locksmith technicians for emergency lockouts, lock replacement and general residential locksmith services through its website www.pickandlock.com.au
Last year, we received 109 contacts from people unhappy with Pick & Lock’s services. Consumers in New South Wales have also been affected.
The complaints received were claims that Pick & Lock’s technicians:
misled people about their prices
misled people about whether they needed services at all
didn’t respond to complaints
harassed or bullied customers into paying.
In one case, a consumer needed a lock repaired on a mailbox. He alleged the locksmith was very unclear about the pricing but indicated it would be around $300. Once the job was completed, he was given an invoice for over $800.
In another case, a home-owner called Pick & Lock to arrange for new front and back door locks, following renovations. Two locksmiths arrived and spent 10 minutes at the property. She was billed for $500.
Shortly after, the home-owner noticed that the installation was faulty, with the lock on the back door loose, and the keys jamming. She checked her bank statements and had been charged more than $800.
She contacted the locksmith, the company, and her bank, but was unable to get her money back.
Benny urged consumers to be cautious about using Pick & Lock’s services.
Wanneroo Council has unanimously voted to withdraw its support for the Mindarie Regional Council’s Waste to Energy procurement process and pursue alternative waste management solutions.
Council’s decision reflects concerns that the proposed Waste to Energy project could extend the life of the Tamala Park landfill.
The City will also begin a procurement process to secure residual waste disposal at other facilities, timed with Tamala Park’s closure.
This resolution builds on Council’s position adopted last month advocating for the earliest practical closure of the site, following longstanding odour concerns affecting nearby residents.
The City also has formally advised the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation that it does not support any applications that would facilitate the continuation or extension of landfill operations at Tamala Park.
Mayor Linda Aitken said the decision reflects the City’s commitment to delivering reliable waste services, while planning for a more sustainable future beyond landfill.
“We know residents have been impacted by odour issues for many years and remain committed to advocating for long-term solutions,” she said.
The City’s broader waste strategy includes investment in waste infrastructure and resource recovery initiatives aimed at reducing reliance on landfill.
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The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works has recently commenced three new inquiries into proposed works by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) and the Department of Defence (Defence) under the Public Works Committee Act 1969.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Northern Territory Police are calling for witnesses following a serious domestic violence incident in Ludmilla overnight.
It is alleged a 46-year-old man assaulted his 48-year-old female partner causing serious head injuries.
Around 7:20pm, the woman walked from a nearby residential address along Trower Road toward a Service Station in Ludmilla, where members of the public came to her aid and provided first aid until emergency services arrived.
She was conveyed to Royal Darwin Hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Police identified and arrested the alleged offender a short time later.
The Northern Domestic Violence Investigation Unit has carriage of the investigation, and the man is expected to be charged later today.
Police are urging anyone who witnessed the incident, saw the woman walking along Trower Road, or has dashcam footage or other electronic evidence from the area between 7:00pm and 7:30pm to contact police on 131 444 and quote reference NTP2600060859 or upload the footage here:
Northern Territory Police would like to thank the members of the public who stopped to assist the injured woman and provided first aid before emergency services arrived.
If you or someone you know are experiencing difficulties due to domestic violence, support services are available, including, but not limited to, 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or Lifeline 131 114.
CHARLES CROUCHER: Thank you, Prime Minister. Thank you, everyone, for being here. My name’s Charles with the Nine Network. It’s lovely to be here and we’re going to try and as much as possible get to your questions. So, if you have one from the floor, whack your hand up. Otherwise, use the QR codes you have on the table. If you’d like to double the chances, whack your hand up and use the QR code. And that’s the best way to do it. While that’s happening, I’m going to start. Prime Minister – big day today.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team has arrested and charged a 28-year-old man following an investigation into the alleged grooming of a child and child abuse material offences.
Yesterday, Northern Territory Police and Australian Federal Police members executed a search warrant at a residence in Bakewell after receiving intelligence from the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE).
During the search, police allegedly located evidence across multiple electronic devices, including material relating to child abuse offences on encrypted applications and AI-generated chat platforms.
The 28-year-old man was arrested at the scene and has since been charged with:
Possess or control child abuse material (S474.22A – CC 1995 (Cth))
2 x Use carriage service to transmit child abuse material (S474.22 – CC 1995 (Cth))
Use carriage service to access child abuse material (S474.22A – CC 1995 (Cth))
2 x Produce child abuse material for use through a carriage service (S474.22A – CC 1995 (Cth))
The man has been remanded to appear in Darwin Local Court on 18 August 2026.
NT Police Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Mark Cronin said the investigation was initiated following information received through the ACCCE and international law enforcement partners.
“Police received information alleging the man had been grooming a 13-year-old child online, prompting an immediate investigation by the Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team.”
“Searches of electronic devices allegedly uncovered evidence of child abuse material across encrypted platforms and AI-generated chat applications.”
“Offenders cannot hide behind technology or anonymous online platforms. Working alongside our national and international partners, we will continue identifying, investigating and prosecuting those who seek to exploit our children.”
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Pixie Fuhrmeister said the collective strength of the NT JACET and its Commonwealth, State, Territory and international law enforcement partners is critical to protecting children from harm.
“Anyone preying on children online should not think the internet provides them anonymity or protection from real-world consequences. Children deserve safety, dignity and protection — and the AFP and its law enforcement partners remain committed in its pursuit of anyone involved in online child exploitation,” Det a/Supt Fuhrmeister said.
Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development
The Australian Government’s cyclone reinsurance pool is helping to reduce insurance premiums or moderate premium increases for people living in areas at higher risk of cyclones, the ACCC’s fifth and final insurance monitoring report has found.
However, nationwide, insurance premiums remain very high for many consumers and are generally rising.
“While there are clear signs the pool has reduced premiums for policyholders living in areas with higher cyclone risk, other factors mean insurance premiums remain very high for many Australian households, including those in high-risk areas,” ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said.
The ACCC compared premiums before and after insurers joined the pool. Focusing on premiums per $100,000 sum insured, it found that in the first year after insurers joined the pool, average premiums in higher cyclone risk areas had fallen 11 per cent for home insurance, eight per cent for strata insurance and 24 per cent for small business insurance.
By contrast, in areas at no risk of cyclones, home insurance rose six per cent, strata insurance rose two per cent and small business insurance rose 10 per cent in that same period.
The impact of the pool is shown by reductions in higher cyclone risk areas having been sustained over time. The ACCC’s analysis found that up to two years after insurers joined the pool, home insurance premiums had reduced 14 per cent and small business insurance reduced 31 per cent compared to pre-pool prices.
The ACCC has published five monitoring reports since 2022, delivering data-informed evidence about whether the pool is achieving its intended outcomes. Today’s report concludes the ACCC’s role to monitor the effect of the introduction of the pool.
“Through our insurance monitoring work, the ACCC has analysed the impact of the pool and provided greater transparency on how savings from the pool are passed on to policyholders. This oversight can encourage more accountable behaviour from insurers,” Ms Brakey said.
Lower premiums for some consumers in higher risk areas
The ACCC has found that, consistent with the intent of the pool, the largest reductions in premiums have been for households and small businesses at the greatest risk of cyclones, which represent two per cent of policies nationally.
Average premiums per $100,000 sum insured fell for combined home and contents insurance in Karratha (down 15 per cent), Mackay (down 14 per cent), Cairns (down 12 per cent) and Townsville (down 3 per cent).
“We also found evidence of reductions for strata and small business policyholders in cities at higher cyclone risk, with some particularly sharp decreases for those paying the highest premiums,” Ms Brakey said.
Consumers remain concerned about affordability
While insurers are passing on the reduced reinsurance rates to policyholders in areas at higher risk of cyclones, the impact of other extreme weather events and claims costs inflation is pushing premiums higher across Australia, the ACCC’s monitoring found.
The ACCC found the average premium in 2024–25 for home and contents insurance was almost $5,000 in north Western Australia, over $3,500 in the Northern Territory and more than $3,100 in north Queensland. Despite some improvements for some consumers in northern Australia, premiums continue to rise across the country. In the rest of Australia, average premiums rose 10 per cent to $2,310 between 2023–24 and 2024–25.
For its final report, the ACCC commissioned a survey to measure consumer concerns about insurance. It found that, regardless of the cyclone risk they face, around half the households surveyed Australia wide rated their home insurance as unaffordable or barely affordable.
The pool has given some consumers more choice of insurer
The pool is also intended to encourage more insurers to participate in northern Australian insurance markets. The ACCC has observed some improvements in the availability of insurance for some consumers, but insurers still perceive a range of barriers to entering or expanding into northern Australian insurance markets, beyond the cyclone risk addressed by the pool. No new insurers have entered these markets since the pool was established.
More insurers recognise private cyclone risk mitigation
Over the long term, the pool aims to maintain incentives for policyholders to undertake measures that reduce the risk of cyclone and related flood damage at their property.
More insurers now recognise private mitigation measures implemented by policyholders. However, the ACCC found some insurers are yet to implement a mitigation framework, and the clarity of the information provided to consumers about private mitigation varies.
“Mitigation remains one of the key factors that will improve the resilience of communities to natural hazards. We found insurers could be doing more to support consumers to understand their options and to recognise the efforts of those who have taken steps to reduce the risk to their property,” Ms Brakey said.
Background
Reinsurance is taken out by insurers to help cover potential large losses from natural disasters such as cyclones and is a significant cost component of premiums in higher-risk areas.
The Australian Government established the cyclone reinsurance pool in 2022 to reduce the cost of reinsurance for cyclone risk and help make insurance more affordable for households and some small businesses in areas at higher risk of cyclones. The pool, which is administered by the Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation, provides reinsurance for cyclone and cyclone-related flood risks covered under home, contents, strata and small business insurance (for sums insured up to $5 million) across Australia. Large insurers were required to join the pool by the end of 2023 and small insurers by the end of 2024. The list of participating insurers is available on the Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation website.
The ACCC was directed to monitor insurance prices, costs and profits before and after the introduction of the pool and was required to provide a report to the government at least once each calendar year from 1 January 2022 to 30 June 2026.
LED streetlights provide enhanced illumination, helping to improve community safety. They also offer a longer lifespan, lower maintenance costs, improved energy efficiency and a significant reduction in CO₂ emissions.
Upgrades will not affect residents’ power supply, and no significant civil works or excessive noise are expected.
Replacing a luminaire takes about 20 minutes on metal poles and up to 45 minutes on wooden poles.
Traffic management and night works will be implemented where required to ensure the safety of both workers and the community. The remaining areas of the City with non-LED lights will be replaced in future rollouts.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Northern Territory Police have joined forces with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, the Department of Logistics and Infrastructure and Queensland Police as part of a cross-border road safety operation targeting one of the Territory’s busiest freight routes.
The three-day operation, conducted between 16 and 18 June 2026, focused on the Barkly Highway between Camooweal and Barkly Homestead, with police carrying out high-visibility patrols and compliance activities aimed at reducing the risk of serious and fatal crashes.
The joint operation targeted heavy vehicle compliance, including vehicle roadworthiness, load security and legal axle masses, while Northern Territory Police also focused on the fatal five road safety factors, including drink and drug driving, fatigue, speeding, seatbelts and distraction.
Throughout the operation, Territory Road Policing Division and Dog Operations Unit members conducted roadside enforcement activities between Camooweal and Avon Downs, resulting in:
3 random breath testing stations
335 drivers’ breath tested
140 roadside drug tests conducted
10 defect notices issued
10 Traffic Regulation and Penalty notices issued
2 Traffic Infringement Notices issued
1 Drug Infringement Notice issued following the seizure of cannabis
25 cautions issued
Senior Sergeant Gavin Hopwood said the operation highlighted the importance of compliance and ongoing enforcement on one of the Territory’s key transport routes.
“The Barkly Highway is a critical freight corridor and operations like this ensure both heavy vehicle operators and general motorists are held to a high safety standard.
“By working alongside our partner agencies, we’re able to combine our efforts and focus on reducing risk factors that contribute to serious and fatal crashes.
“Compliance with road rules, especially around fatigue, impairment and vehicle condition, is essential to keeping all road users safe.”
Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development
The ACCC is taking legal action against two related companies that between them sent more than 320,000 debt enforcement notices which were allegedly misleading and in breach of the Australian Consumer Law.
The ACCC has commenced Federal Court proceedings against debt-collection agency ARMA Group Holdings Pty Ltd (ARMA), and legal practice, Force Legal Pty Ltd (Force Legal), which are both owned by Credit Clear Limited (ASX: CCR).
It is alleged that ARMA and Force Legal made misleading representations when sending at least 320,000 notices to consumers by email, letter or text message over more than three and a half years about debts they allegedly owed.
The ACCC alleges that the notices from ARMA represented to affected consumers they had a debt that was due and required payment, when in fact the debt was either no longer outstanding or was past the statutory limitation period (statute-barred). It is also alleged that Force Legal sent letters containing misrepresentations about the steps it would take to escalate matters and the potential consequences of non-payment.
“ARMA and Force Legal’s allegedly misleading debt enforcement notices had the potential to cause extreme emotional and financial stress and concern to thousands of people, many of whom were likely experiencing vulnerabilities,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.
“We are concerned that the letters and emails which warned consumers of serious and imminent consequences of failing to pay a debt likely led some consumers to make payments they were not legally required to make. We are asking the court to order compensation for these consumers.”
The ACCC alleges that ARMA used multiple digital platforms to facilitate its debt collection activities, which relied on pre-loaded template communications that were issued to consumers through semi-automated processes.
“Companies that do not address features or deficiencies in their systems, processes and procedures which lead to breaches of the law and consumer harm should be in no doubt that they will face serious consequences,” Ms Lowe said.
ARMA and Force Legal were enforcing debts for many well-known private and public companies, including gyms, energy and telecommunications companies, education providers, health and medical providers, funeral providers, a streaming service, and a transport provider.
The ACCC is not alleging that ARMA’s clients breached Australian Consumer Law, or were complicit in, or aware of, the conduct.
The ACCC started investigating ARMA and Force Legal after receiving complaints from more than 400 customers.
The ACCC is seeking pecuniary penalties, declarations, injunctions, consumer compensation and other orders.
Information to assist consumers who are in debt, are being contacted by debt collectors, or are seeking to dispute a debt is available on the ACCC website.
Detailed allegations and examples
The ACCC alleges that between 6 February 2022 and 26 September 2025, ARMA engaged in misleading conduct and made false or misleading representations by sending at least 16,000 letters, emails and text messages to consumers. These communications represented that a debt was owing and/or required payment, when the consumer no longer owed a debt, or the debt was statute-barred.
The ACCC also alleges that, during the same period, Force Legal engaged in misleading conduct and/or made false or misleading representations by sending at least 320,000 letters and emails to consumers that misleadingly conveyed, for example, that:
Force Legal was instructed to start legal action to enforce the debt, when in fact Force Legal had never received such instructions from any of ARMA’s clients;
Force Legal was independent of ARMA, when in fact Force Legal was a related body corporate and akin to ARMA’s in-house legal arm;
consumers might have payments deducted from their pay without a court hearing, when in fact this could only occur if and when a Court granted such an order; and/or
consumers would have to pay all legal costs and interest, when in fact there is no automatic entitlement to recover such costs in any Australian jurisdiction other than Western Australia.
The ACCC also alleges ARMA was knowingly concerned in some of Force Legal’s alleged breaches of the law, and that it was actually ARMA employees who arranged for letters on Force Legal’s letterhead to be sent to consumers.
“The alleged involvement of legal practitioners in developing the allegedly misleading communications to debtors and facilitating the concerning practices between ARMA and Force Legal is a particularly troubling aspect of the conduct which is at the centre of the ACCC’s case,” Ms Lowe said.
Example message from ARMA
“Your [Creditor] account is severely overdue. Immediate payment of $[Debt Amount] is required to avoid further escalation. If payment or contact is not received within seven (7) days our client [Creditor] reserves the right to take all action necessary to recover payment. Failure to resolve this matter may result in a credit default. Legal action may also commence, which would result in you incurring additional legal fees and interest charges.”
Example of an enforcement letter sent by ARMA
Example message from Force Legal
“This is your final notice before we [Force Legal] receive instructions from [Creditor] to proceed with legal action to recover the debt claimed.”
Example of an enforcement letter sent by Force Legal
Background
ARMA Group Holdings Pty Ltd is a well-established debt collection service provider that collects debts as a service on behalf of its creditor clients for fees and commission. This case is focused on ARMA’s business-to-consumer debt collection activities.
Force Legal Pty Ltd is a legal practice registered in NSW that provides legal services to ARMA in relation to ARMA’s debt collection service. As part of ARMA’s debt collection process, if an alleged debt remains unpaid after correspondence sent by ARMA, the debt may be escalated so that consumers are sent a letter of demand with a Force Legal letterhead.
Credit Clear Limited is the ultimate holding company for several debt collection entities, including ARMA, as well as legal services providers, such as Force Legal.
Note to editors
The ACCC and ASIC enforce Commonwealth consumer protection laws, including laws relevant to debt collection.
In 2020, the ACCC updated the ACCC and ASIC’s joint Debt Collection Guideline for Collectors and Creditors, which aims to assist creditors, collectors and debtors to understand their rights and obligations, and ensure that debt collection activity is undertaken in a way that is consistent with consumer protection laws.
As part of a compliance campaign, the ACCC also engaged with stakeholders, creditors and debt collectors and put debt collection agencies on notice about their obligations to comply with consumer protection laws.
In December 2018, the Federal Court ordered ACM Group to pay $750,000 in penalties for ACM’s misleading, harassing, coercive and unconscionable pursuit of unpaid debts from two vulnerable consumers.
In July 2019, the ACCC took court action against Panthera Finance and ACM Group.
In March 2020, the Federal Court ordered Panthera Finance to pay $500,000 in penalties for unduly harassing three consumers over debts they did not owe and for misleading one of the three consumers.
The maximum penalty for each breach of the Australian Consumer Law increased on 10 November 2022, part way through the period of the alleged conduct. For contraventions from 10 November 2022, the maximum penalty is the greater of:
$50,000,000
if the Court can determine the value of the ‘reasonably attributable’ benefit obtained, three times that value, or
if the Court cannot determine the value of the ‘reasonably attributable’ benefit, 30 per cent of the corporation’s adjusted turnover during the breach turnover period for the contravention.
Consumers affected by similar conduct are encouraged to seek assistance from one of the agencies listed on the ACCC website.
Concise statement
This document contains the ACCC’s initiating court documents in relation to this matter. We will not be uploading further documents in the event these initial documents are subsequently amended.