Product Safety - Consumers' Federation of Australia

26 June , 2018

2018 Wiring Rules are now available for licensed electrical practitioners

Standards Australia announced today that the 2018 edition of AS/NZS 3000:2018, Electrical Installations (known as the Wiring Rules) has been published in Australia and New Zealand. The new standard, created through collaboration between industry and government, has now been published with key updates in important areas, such as main switches, residual current devices (RCDs) and DC wiring…

31 May , 2018

G20 Consumer Summit 2018

The second ever G20 Summit on Consumer Protection was held in Argentina in May 2018. At the invitation of the co hosts, the Argentinian Directorate for Consumer Protection and Consumers International, Professor Gail Pearson represented Australia and spoke on Food Waste and consumer awareness and education. The program focused on the digital economy and protection…

9 May , 2018

Playing safe with kids’ toys

Keeping kids free from harm is the effect of standards for toy safety. ISO has just updated a toy safety standard to ensure it covers all bases. Made for play, children’s toys are rife with potential hidden hazards ranging from sharp edges to cords or small parts, to name a few. The humble plaything can cause great harm if not designed and manufactured…

3 May , 2018

Product Safety: A global picture

Consumers International has released a new report: The challenge of protecting consumers from unsafe products: A global picture. The report, based on a survey of 132 organisations in 100 countries, found that national product safety legislation is struggling to adapt to the unprecedented challenges created by technological advances and the transformative nature of international supply chains…

3 May , 2018

Rapid recall: getting unsafe products off the market quickly

The following blog post is reproduced from Consumers International. Product recalls are an important way to remove unsafe products from the marketplace and prevent injury and death. This year the OECD and the International Standards Organisation will be looking at how recalls can be delivered more effectively to ensure consumers are better protected. The right…

24 March , 2018

ACCC moves to improve quad bike safety

The ACCC has proposed major changes to improve the safety of quad bikes, including the introduction of a safety rating system, crush protection devices and mandatory minimum performance standards. Tragically, quad bike accidents result in an average of 16 deaths in Australia each year. They also result in approximately six people per day attending a…

9 March , 2018

The Reject Shop ordered to pay $155,000 over unsafe projectile toys

National variety goods retailer The Reject Shop Ltd has been penalised $140,000 after admitting that it contravened the product safety provisions of the Australian Consumer Law (Victoria) by selling projectile toys that did not meet the relevant Australian Safety Standard. The Reject Shop operates more than 330 stores across Australia. Consumer Affairs Victoria took action…

2 March , 2018

CHOICE welcomes action on deadly airbags

Consumer group CHOICE says car companies’ ongoing failure to protect the public from unsafe airbags reaffirms the need to tighten Australian Consumer Law. CHOICE has welcomed the compulsory recall of millions of potentially lethal Takata airbags, and is calling on the Federal Government to beef up Australian Consumer Law to make it explicitly clear that…

25 February , 2018

The second-hand market gets a new ISO standard to protect consumers

The second-hand economy is booming with more and more consumers buying used goods. How can we be sure that the second-hand baby crib we buy won’t cause injury or harm? Purchasing used products can bring its share of bad surprises, but a new International Standard helps make sure those hand-me-down treasures are not putting your…

19 February , 2018

Safety concerns for children at trampoline parks

At least 500 children have ended up in hospital emergency departments in Australia between 2012 and 2017 due to injuries at indoor trampoline parks. The number of trampoline parks has soared past 80 in the past six years, but with lawsuits, catastrophic spinal injuries and even deaths overseas clouding the industry’s future, experts are urgently…

27 October , 2017

Quad Bike Safety Taskforce

The following is a joint media release from the Commonwealth Small Business Minister Michael McCormack and Commonwealth Employment Minister Michaelia Cash. A Taskforce led by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will conduct an investigation into quad bike safety under plans announced today by the Minister for Employment Michaelia Cash and Minister for Small Business…

28 July , 2017

Product Safety Reform and the ACL Review – Blog Post

The following is a blog post by Luke Nottage and Catherine Niven. The original post can be accessed here. In 2008, as consumer confidence in Australia took a big hit from the Global Financial Crisis, the Productivity Commission published a report advising the federal Treasurer to lead a belated “re-harmonisation” of consumer protection law. The State and…