Michael Atkin
Michael Atkin is the ABC's national consumer affairs reporter based in Brisbane, Queensland.
An award-winning journalist, Michael was previously a reporter with the current affairs program 7.30 and has also worked in Sydney, Canberra and Hobart.
Michael has won multiple Queensland Clarion Media Awards, including for investigative journalism. Michael was Tasmania's Journalist of the Year in 2016 and has won several other Tasmanian media awards. He received the ABC's Andrew Olle Scholarship in 2011 and has also worked as a reporter and executive producer with triple j's Hack program.
You can contact Michael by email at atkin.michael@abc.net.au or follow him on Twitter at @michaelatkin. You can also reach him on the encrypted Signal messaging app at +61 447 279 901 or via encrypted email at michaelatkin@protonmail.com.
Latest by Michael Atkin
Calls for investigation after pensioner charged $54k for home insurance on 'asbestos cottage'
There are calls for an ASIC investigation after an Indigenous pensioner was charged an annual insurance premium of almost $10,000 by QBE for an asbestos-clad home in a remote town in Western Australia.
Cold case breakthrough as man assists police over disappearance of Queensland woman
Police say a 62-year-old man is assisting with their inquiries over the February 2013 disappearance of a Kowanyama woman known as Ms Bernard.
'You really need to ask Optus': Emails reveal behind-the-scenes chaos during unprecedented outage
Optus and the federal government spent hours during last year's unprecedented outage telling the public triple-0 calls from mobiles should work despite mounting evidence to the contrary behind the scenes, documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws reveal.
Engineered stone will be banned in Australia in world-first decision
Australia's workplace ministers have agreed to implement a national ban on engineered stone, over concerns its use has led to a surge in silicosis cases among workers.
'They should definitely ban it': Ministers contemplate future of deadly kitchen material
Australia could make a world-first decision to ban engineered stone due to the "unacceptable risk to workers", but it's too late for hundreds of people living with silicosis.
Ever bought an extended warranty? A new lawsuit claims customers have been misled by a major retailer
Is an extended warranty worth your money? It's a question being raised in a new class action against retail giant JB Hi-Fi.
Telstra's pink bus waived a woman's debt. Later, she found out she was also entitled to $12,000
Telstra's "pink bus" travels to remote communities to help Indigenous clients, but financial counsellors have concerns the outreach service is not helping victims of mis-selling get the compensation they're entitled to.
This mother feared she would end up in jail over huge phone bills, a problem experts say is greater than first thought
In 2021, Telstra faced court for its treatment of First Nations customers. New figures obtained by the ABC show the scale of the problem is much worse than first thought.
Did you lose money because of the Optus outage? Here's how to try and get it back
First the hack, then the outage. Many customers want out of Optus, while others want compensation. Here's a look at your consumer rights.
Questions unanswered a day after Optus outage cuts communication for millions of Australians
It's the day after the Optus outage struck more than 10 million customers and impacted health, education, transport and many other services. Read over our blog to see how the day unfolded.
Architects of failed housing scheme impacting retirees across the nation face court on criminal charges
Three men involved in a failed housing scheme which targeted elderly customers appear in a Perth court for allegedly breaching corporate law.
Damon spent $12,000 on his first car, but it soon cost him much more
Damon spent almost $12,000 on a second-hand car he barely drove. Trying to get it sorted was a long and complicated journey, and consumer groups are calling for change.
'I don't have time to be fixing up big companies' errors': Industry report shows rise of complaints about Optus
The telecommunications watchdog releases its annual report card on the country's telcos, and while complaints are down across the board, there’s one notable exception — Optus.
Superannuation payout delays throw spotlight on 'harrowing' ordeal for families
Since his partner's death, John's been locked in a lengthy battle with one of Australia's largest funds to get her super paid out. He's not alone, with the country's peak advocacy group calling for an end to lengthy delays and further grief for families.
Cars and property seized after Westpac failed to respond to hardship requests, ASIC alleges
Westpac is facing civil court proceedings from ASIC, which alleges it failed to respond to hardship requests within the time required by law.
Ruby tried to cancel her Amazon account in March, but got stuck in a 'subscription trap'
Ruby Callaghan has tried for six months to stop one of the world's retail giants from charging her unwanted fees. The federal government says it is looking at introducing legislation, known as "don't be a jerk laws", to help curb the issue.
When Christine sold her home, the buyer used the same law firm. Things soon became 'very sticky'
It's legal for one law firm to represent both sides of a real estate transaction but legal experts warn it can make navigating conflict difficult.
'They should be outraged': Insider blows whistle on real estate 'kickbacks' he claims could hurt homebuyers
It's banned in three states, but in other parts of Australia conveyancers are paying real estate agents to recommend their services in a practice one insider has described as unethical even though it's legal.
Families plead for Telstra to stop sending letters addressed to their dead loved ones
Telstra is sending letters to its deceased customers despite their family members pleading for the telco to stop the mail.
'Like a Monty Python skit': Telstra 'harassed' Jenny for nine years over her dead husband's account
Jenny Moncur's husband Royce died in 2014 after being diagnosed with cancer. Almost a decade later, she was still being contacted about his Telstra account.
Minister indicates Australia could follow UK and force banks to reimburse scam victims
The United Kingdom will force banks to compensate scam victims under a world-first scheme, and Australia's financial services minister now says he's considering similar rules here.
'I cannot use my own money': CommBank customers 'livid' as tech issue crashes banking services
The Commonwealth Bank apologises to customers after a major glitch prevents them from making purchases with their bank cards or accessing their accounts for hours.
'The stress was incredible': Marina says her battle with Telstra proves the industry needs new rules
An ombudsman report says too many telcos are failing to comply with the rules, and some of the rules are too soft, causing distress for phone and internet users.
This retiree googled 'money mule' after his bank told him he was one. What he found made him 'very nervous'
Mojib Rahman went from scam victim to "money mule", as he tried to recover his lost funds. Now his bank has apologised for the way it handled his case.
'Money mules' are working in teams and make up the majority of scams reported in Australia
Over a four-hour phone call, scammers gained access to Jenny's computer and transferred $300,000 out of her account. By the time she alerted the bank, it was too late.