Summary:

We are a group of Australian families who have lost thousands of dollars after booking holidays through AVG Travels, a Melbourne-based travel agency that went into liquidation on 26 May 2026.

Thousands of Australian families across the country are believed to have lost millions of dollars after this agency continued taking bookings for over three years after losing its industry accreditation. We are calling on the Australian Government, ACCC and industry bodies to act now and change the law.

What Happened:

AVG Travels had its ATIA accreditation cancelled back in August 2022 - over three years before many of us made our bookings. Yet they continued taking money from ordinary Australian families with no warning, no disclosure and no accountability. This was made possible because industry accreditation in Australia is entirely voluntary, with no legal force and no consequences for agencies that continue operating without it.

When AVG Travels collapsed, families were left as unsecured creditors with little to no chance of recovering their money. Those who paid by bank transfer, BPay or debit card have virtually no recourse at all. The total losses across affected customers are believed to run into millions of dollars.

Why this must change:

This is not just about AVG Travels. This is about a systemic failure involving the Government, industry bodies and regulators that allowed this to happen - and could happen again tomorrow with another agency.

We are calling on the Australian Government, the ACCC and industry bodies to:

1) Direct the ACCC to urgently investigate AVG Travels and the broader systemic failure that allowed an unaccredited travel agency to continue taking money from Australian consumers for over three years, and to determine what enforcement action and consumer remedies are available.

2) Change Australian Consumer Law to make it mandatory for travel agencies to immediately disclose to customers and the public when they lose industry accreditation.

3) Prohibit travel agencies from continuing to take new bookings and payments after losing accreditation.

4) Require ATIA and all industry bodies to proactively notify consumers, regulators and the public when a member's accreditation is cancelled-not just quietly update a register

5) Introduce stronger legal protections for consumers who pay by bank transfer, BPay and debit card for travel bookings.

6) Establish a mandatory travel industry compensation fund or bonding scheme so consumers are protected when agencies collapse, similar to protections that already exist in the real estate industry.

This is a legal gap that must be closed. Australian families deserve real protection, not a voluntary tick on a website.

Please sign and share this petition widely.

Why this matters to me?

Like many families in our group, we lost significant money when AVG Travels collapsed. But the financial loss is only part of it.

We had booked and paid in full for a family trip to China over Easter and school holidays next year. Our kids were excited for months. Our grandparents were looking forward to it. It was going to be a special trip - an opportunity to explore China at a time when tourism was being actively promoted and costs were accessible for ordinary families.

That dream has now been shattered overnight through absolutely no fault of our own.

What hurts most is that this was entirely preventable. AVG Travels had lost its industry accreditation over three years before we booked. We were never told. Nobody warned us. We booked in good faith, trusting that we were dealing with a legitimate and credible travel business.

No family should have to go through this. Not the kids who had their holiday taken away. Not the grandparents who had saved for this experience. Not the parents who are now left scrambling with no refund and no clear path to justice.

That is why I am fighting for change. So this never happens to another Australian family.