CALL FOR PAPERS: 2026 Australasian Consumer Law Roundable

Dear colleagues,

It is with great delight that we invite you to submit an abstract for the 21^st Australasian Consumer Law Roundtable (ACLR), to be held at the Adelaide University Law School. Additionally, we are thrilled to announce that the second day of this milestone Roundtable will also be a regional meeting for the International Association of Consumer Law (IACL), and we hope that colleagues from abroad will be able to participate in person or remotely for this part of the event.

DATES AND FORMAT: Thursday 3 and Friday 4 December 2026. The Roundtable is an in-person event given this works best for dynamics and discussions. For colleagues in far places, there may be opportunity for online involvement. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

The ACLR has always prized its tradition of uniting academics, regulators, practitioners, and consumer advocates from Australia, New Zealand, and further afield to share scholarly research and engage in discussion within a friendly and collegiate environment. We are seeking submissions that build on this tradition and advance thoughtful scholarship, encourage robust dialogue, and contribute to a vibrant and inclusive exchange of ideas.

THEME: ‘Safeguarding Consumers in an Era of Unprecedented Change’

Over the past five years, the Federal Government has initiated a diverse range of consultations addressing all manner of consumer law issues, including unfair contract terms, data protection, pricing transparency, AI and digital platforms, unfair trading practices, consumer guarantees, franchising, and more. During the same period, society has undergone significant change, with rising cost-of-living pressures, increasingly complex markets, the explosion of Artificial Intelligence and technological advancement, and other factors contributing to a dynamic yet challenging economy.

The common theme, for legislators, businesses, scholars, policymakers and consumers, is change. We appear to be transitioning into a period of trepidation, possibility, and regulatory innovation and recalibration. The traditionally stable consumer protection framework is now being intensively probed and questioned. The risks to consumer welfare are greater than ever before and invite urgent discourse on potential solutions to existing and emerging gaps and issues. These truly are unprecedented times.

For those seeking inspiration for paper topics, you may wish to address such issues as:

• Recent and forthcoming consumer law consultations initiated by Federal Government/Treasury
• The legal and ethical issues raised by the adoption of AI technologies by businesses of all scales
• Efficacy of the current consumer guarantee framework in the Australian Consumer Law
• How the pending Unfair Trading Practices laws will impact contemporary transactions
• Misleading conduct arising from Greenwashing, Pinkwashing, Bluewashing, and the like
• Use and misuse of technology and/or data by suppliers and potential consumer harms
• Protecting franchisees, distributors, and other ‘forgotten parties’ in the supply chain
• Fairness, transparency, and accountability for platforms in the gig economy
• Deepfakes, algorithms, and chatbots – potentials and perils
• Consumer protection threats and issues on the horizon for businesses and consumers

Submissions on all consumer law topics are welcome.

While we encourage submissions that engage with our theme, papers on any aspect of consumer law, policy or research are welcome. We are also happy to entertain submissions that adopt different perspectives – legal, economic, policy, and more. Robust and rounded discussion is healthy. The ACLR is intended as a broad forum for the consumer law community to share and discuss their work and ideas.

There will be prizes for the best presentations across a range of categories. Further details to follow!

The Roundtable is a supportive and inclusive forum for all researchers.

We are firmly committed to ensuring that the Roundtable continues to be a supportive and friendly environment for consumer law scholars, practitioners, regulators and advocates. We especially encourage submissions from PhD students and Early Career Researchers for whom this is event is an excellent opportunity to present work-in-progress and receive constructive feedback.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

If you would like to present a paper at the Roundtable, please email Dr Mark Giancaspro at mark.giancaspro@adelaide.edu.au with the following:

• an abstract of no more than 300 words
• the title of your paper
• your full name, affiliation, and contact email address
• the names and affiliations of any coauthors

The extended deadline for abstract submission is 5:00pm ACST on Friday 3 July 2026.

If you simply wish to attend without presenting, that is also fine. Simply register, as discussed below.

REGISTRATION

There is no registration fee to attend the Roundtable. However, we do ask that you register for catering purposes. Registration is now open. Please complete here: Australasian Consumer Law Roundtable 2026. Further details regarding the conference dinner will be circulated soon.

We look forward to receiving your submissions and welcoming you to sunny Adelaide in December! For any queries, please email Dr Mark Giancaspro at mark.giancaspro@adelaide.edu.au.