Thursday morning and the ACCC has landed the first big consumer win of the second full week of the new financial year: Origin Energy will refund more than $270,000 to over 4,500 customers whose “Ongoing Saver” plan sometimes cost them more than the retailer’s cheaper Basic plan. It is the first-ever designated-complaint outcome under the framework CHOICE lodged on 21 May 2025, and refunds average around $60 a customer. Meanwhile Perth-founded activewear label STAX has appointed liquidators leaving customers holding un-honoured gift cards, ASIC has released the first detailed dataset showing $3.66 billion in retail collapses since 2021, petrol has jumped 16 cents per litre since the 30 June excise cut expired, and Thursday’s Top 5 is led by Kick Push Skate at 86 per cent off.
Origin Refunds 4,500 Customers on ‘Saver’ Plan That Was Not
Origin Energy will pay back more than $270,000 to over 4,500 current and former customers on its “Ongoing Saver” electricity plan after an ACCC investigation found the plan sometimes charged more than Origin’s cheaper Basic plan for the same tariff (ACCC media release, 14 July 2026). Refunds average around $60 per customer, and Origin has committed to contact every affected customer directly. Current customers can choose a refund or an automatic bill credit, and former customers will be reached out to for a refund. Origin has also discontinued the Ongoing Saver plan altogether and undertaken not to use “saver” naming for any future plan unless genuine savings are built in for the life of the plan (Canstar consumer summary, 14 July 2026).
ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey put the message to the wider industry in one sentence: “Electricity retailers that claim or suggest savings for consumers on their plans, including in the name of the plan, must ensure that the savings are actually delivered to customers for the life of the plan” (Lawyerly by Cindy Cameronne, 14 July 2026). The action is significant beyond the dollar amount: it is the first outcome of the ACCC’s new designated-complaint framework, triggered by a CHOICE submission lodged on 21 May 2025. CHOICE consumer data advocate Andy Kollmorgen welcomed the result and confirmed CHOICE will continue using the framework, saying “the ACCC has again shown that misleading claims will not fly, and consumers are entitled to accurate information from retailers, especially on essential services like electricity” (CHOICE media release, 14 July 2026). Origin did not admit any breach of the Australian Consumer Law but committed to the refunds, retiring the plan, and revised marketing practices.
How To Check If You Are One of the 4,500
Four practical steps for anyone who thinks they might be on the list. First, you do not have to lodge a claim. Origin will initiate contact by email, SMS and by post over the coming weeks. If you are still an Origin customer, log into your My Account dashboard and check the name of your current or previous electricity plan. If you see “Ongoing Saver” listed for any billing period, you are almost certainly in scope. If you are a former Origin customer, dig out any of your past bills or the welcome pack, look for the plan name in the top-right corner of the tariff summary, and if in doubt call Origin on 13 24 61 (the residential customer service number, published on origin.com.au) and ask them to check.
Second, watch out for scam callers. Origin, the ACCC and IDCARE have all flagged that opportunistic scammers ring customers after refund announcements pretending to represent the company. Origin has confirmed its official communications will not ask for your credit-card number or banking details, and legitimate refunds will either credit your existing Origin billing account or refund to the account already on file. If a caller asks you to “confirm” your card details, hang up. Call Origin back on an independently-sourced number and, if you have already shared personal information, contact IDCARE on 1800 595 160 or report the incident to scamwatch.gov.au (ACCC scam guidance, 14 July 2026). Third, if the refund is important and Origin has not contacted you within eight weeks, escalate to the free Energy and Water Ombudsman in your state or territory. Fourth, and this is the important one, use the moment to re-check your current plan against the Australian Government’s Energy Made Easy comparison tool. A CHOICE analysis last year found that in some cases switching to a cheaper plan with the same retailer would have saved households more than the refund itself. Origin’s undertaking closes one door, but every retailer still charges more than a shopper who compares actively.
STAX Collapses, ASIC Report Shows $3.66 Billion In Retail Failures
Cult Perth-born activewear brand STAX has appointed liquidators after receivers failed to find a buyer, and its customers have been told bluntly by the company: gift cards and credit notes will not be honoured, no returns or exchanges will be accepted, and pre-orders placed before 24 June 2026 may or may not be fulfilled subject to a resolution with the third-party logistics provider (PerthNow by Kelsey Reid, 13 July 2026). Founders Matilda Murray and Don Robertson, who launched the brand from a Perth bedroom in 2015, told customers on Monday they had read “hundreds of messages during what has been the most difficult chapter of our lives,” but that control of the company and its assets now sits with the receivers (7NEWS by Emma Kirk, 14 July 2026). Brian Silvia and Michael Hird of CasCap Advisory were appointed as liquidators on Friday 10 July, and Joseph Hansell and Asjadi Hone of FTI Consulting have been receivers on behalf of NAB since June. If you are a STAX customer holding a gift card or an unfulfilled order, ask your bank about a Section 271 chargeback for undelivered goods (this works if you paid by credit card and the transaction was in the last six months), and lodge a proof of debt as an unsecured creditor via CasCap Advisory. STAX is the second high-profile Australian retail collapse in as many weeks. Congo Brands Australia, the local distributor for Logan Paul and KSI’s Prime Hydration drinks, was placed into voluntary administration on 7 July with the first creditors meeting scheduled for Friday 17 July (Insolvency Insider Australia, 12 July 2026).
The context around both collapses landed the same week from a different angle. On 7 July ASIC published its first-ever detailed dataset on voluntary administrations and deeds of company arrangement, revealing that 238 retail businesses have collapsed since 2021 with $3.66 billion in combined liabilities (Jeweller Magazine by Samuel Ord, 10 July 2026). ASIC Commissioner Kate O’Rourke noted that most smaller retail administrations, those with less than $1 million in liabilities, end up in straight liquidation rather than a rescue deed. And yet a CommBank Research release the same week confirmed shopping-centre vacancy has dropped to 4.4 per cent, its lowest reading since 2018, and landlords are backfilling closed stores fast (CommBank Newsroom, 15 July 2026). Translation for shoppers: the churn is real, so buy from Australian-owned retailers with a clean trading history and a real customer-service phone number, use your credit card (not debit) whenever a purchase is large or a delivery is more than 21 days away, and keep receipts.
Petrol Up 16 Cents Since 30 June, Excise Relief Ends 2 August
The ACCC’s 18th weekly fuel price monitoring update has national average unleaded at 167.5 cents per litre, up roughly 16 cents from the 30 June low point after the government’s partial restoration of fuel excise on 1 July (ACCC weekly report summary via IndexBox, 10 July 2026). The remaining excise relief expires on Sunday 2 August 2026, at which point pump prices are expected to step up again by up to 8 cents per litre. Practical shopper moves this week: buy on the low day of your local city price cycle (typically Monday or Tuesday in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and Wednesday in Adelaide), use a fuel-finder app such as MotorMouth or the ACCC-supported state government sites to compare within 10 kilometres of home, and stack a 4-cents-per-litre supermarket rewards discount where you can. If your household drives 400 kilometres a week in an average family car, that combination is worth roughly $10 to $15 a fortnight relative to the highest point of the cycle. Not a fortune, but it more than covers the average $60 Origin refund landing in the same window.
Five Fresh Australian Stores, Audited at Dawn
Five stores. Five categories. All fresh names today, none carried over from the last three days, all headline discounts verified from the live sale pages this morning.
Discount
Kick Push SkateSkateboardingUp to 86 per cent off Kick Push Skate: complete skateboards, decks, trucks, wheels and skate hardware from the Australian-owned specialist trading online and from its Sydney warehouse with same-week dispatch across Australia.86%OFF2
RebelSport ClothingUp to 85 per cent off Rebel: running shoes, activewear, gym gear, cricket, football and Olympic-brand ranges from Australia’s biggest sport-and-outdoor retailer, with over 160 stores and click-and-collect from your local shopping centre.85%OFF3
ShowpoWomen's FashionUp to 80 per cent off Showpo: dresses, jumpsuits, denim, workwear and event pieces from the Australian-owned Sydney-based womenswear label, with Afterpay, Zip and free returns on full-price orders.80%OFF4
DecjubaWomen's WearUp to 70 per cent off Decjuba: knitwear, coats, denim and workwear from the Australian-owned Melbourne-based womenswear label, with over 130 stores across Australia and New Zealand and free shipping over $80.70%OFF5
EckersleysArt SuppliesUp to 70 per cent off Eckersleys Art Supplies: acrylic and oil paints, brushes, canvases, sketchbooks and pens from the family-owned Melbourne-founded art specialist, with stores from Perth to Brisbane and Zip and Afterpay at checkout.70%OFF% discounts shown are indicative across each store’s sale range. Individual product savings vary.
Other Deals Worth A Look
Beyond the Top 5, a handful of other Australian-owned retailers are worth a look on the Thursday of the second full trading week of the new financial year. Dusk (today’s Top 6 ticker pick) has 60 per cent off candles, diffusers and homewares from the Australian-owned Melbourne-based homewares label, with Afterpay and free shipping over $50. Rockwear is running up to 50 per cent off Australian-designed activewear, gym leggings and sports bras from the Melbourne-based label, with click-and-collect available in most state capitals. Koala has clearance pricing on mattresses, sofas and bedroom furniture from the Australian-owned certified B Corp with 120-night trials. Myer has up to 60 per cent off across menswear, womenswear and homewares as the Melbourne-headquartered department store continues its winter runout. All Australian-owned or locally fulfilled, all backed by the Australian Consumer Law.
Our Take
Two stories in one morning tell the same consumer-protection story from opposite ends. On the ACCC side, a five-year regulatory experiment (the designated-complaint framework) has produced its first refund, $60 a household times 4,500 households, on an energy plan that was named for a saving it did not deliver. On the collapse side, a wildly popular activewear label that raised eyebrows for taking on Nike and Lululemon has left thousands of customers holding gift cards worth nothing. Both remind us that the paperwork matters. A plan named “Saver” is not automatically a saving. A gift card is not a savings account, it is an unsecured claim against a company that may or may not be trading in eight weeks. The Australian Consumer Law is the strongest household protection in this country’s history, but it works only if you use it: read the plan name and the tariff, buy from retailers with a proven Australian trading history, and put big purchases on a credit card so the bank is your first line of defence.
That is exactly why It’s On Sale exists. We track 35,000 Australian stores and 45,000 live sale products, every retailer Australian-owned or locally fulfilled, every promotion audited daily against the store’s own price history. No trial traps, no hidden fees, no offshore marketplaces dressed up as a local brand. Today’s Sales shows every store currently running a discount in one place. The AI search reads the way real shoppers ask (try “womens winter dresses under 100” or “kids skateboards half price”). None of it is Temu, Shein, AliExpress, Wish or any offshore marketplace dressed up as a local brand. Browse Today’s Sales on the Thursday of the second full week of the new financial year, and make your money go further with Australian retailers who stand behind the ticket.