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CHOICE says children’s lives are being jeopardised by business ignoring button battery risk, and are calling for an overhaul of product safety laws in the wake of recent tests which show manufacturers and retailers are ignoring safety risks posed by button battery powered items. “10 out of 17 button battery powered household items failed CHOICE…
Read More Button battery safety failures
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There should be a law in Australia prohibiting the sale of unsafe goods, ACCC Chair Rod Sims told the National Consumer Congress in Melbourne last week. Using new data the ACCC estimates the annual cost of injury and death caused by unsafe consumer products is at least $5 billion and could be much more. Excluding motor vehicle…
Read More Unsafe goods should be illegal to sell
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CHOICE has published the details of 18 products that failed the CHOICE pram test, warning Australian parents to watch out. The CHOICE pram test looked at 46 prams and strollers and failed 18 of them, with particular concerns regarding strangulation hazards with buckles and straps. The CHOICE review of the pram market follows poor scores…
Read More Parents warned: 18 products fail CHOICE pram test
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The trampoline park industry in Australia has grown from a few centres in 2012 to over 80 open today. With this increase in popularity comes a higher chance of injury, and a greater role for standards to play in minimising risks that might lead to such injuries. Read more here Consumers Federation of Australia (CFA) representative…
Read More New standard to help minimise risks at trampoline parksThis week Consumers International launched a 90-second video that was created in partnership with the Internet Society. The video brings to life some of the security issues with smart devices in the home and is accompanied by five tips to help people connect SMART! Click below to watch the video. CONNECT SMART The number of products and objects connected…
Read More Consumers Society TV – The Buggle Baby Monitor
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Recent surveillance activities by the ACCC have identified many convertible tricycle strollers did not have important safety features such as brakes, appropriate harnesses, tether straps or suitable warnings required under the standard. There are a wide variety of tricycles currently for sale in the market. Some tricycles closely resemble a traditional tricycle (sometimes with a…
Read More Convertible tricycle strollers – have your sayAhead of this Friday’s meeting of Ministers for consumer affairs, the Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) has urged faster progress on updating the Australian Consumer Law. Chairperson of the CFA Gerard Brody said that consumers have been waiting too long for vital reforms to laws on product safety, refund rights and unsolicited selling “The Final…
Read More Peak consumer group calls on Ministers to fast track priority consumer protections
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A lot of people do not realise how significant injuries can be while having fun at a Trampoline Park – read more here. Consumers Federation of Australia (CFA) representative, John Furbank is on the Standards Australia Technical Committee SF-051 which has developed part 1 of a new Australian Standard on trampoline parks. Speak up for Australians by participating…
Read More Trampoline Parks and Injuries
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More than 7,400 eyeliner products believed to contain lead have been seized by inspectors. Consumers are being warned to take care when purchasing cosmetics after testing by New South Wales Health of the eyeliners branded as ‘Hashmi Surma Special’ and ‘Hashmi Kohl Aswad’, revealed high levels of lead and other dangerous metals, including arsenic and…
Read More Take care when purchasing cosmetics
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Faulty products continue to cause serious injury and harm to thousands of Australians, with more than 4.5 million items recalled by suppliers in the 2017-18 financial year. New figures show at least 10 people a day are injured and require medical attention as a result of unsafe products, according to mandatory reports provided to the…
Read More Half of all Australian homes affected by unsafe products
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The ACCC has released comprehensive state-by-state data detailing recall rates for deadly Takata airbags, and the first data detailing progress made by various vehicle manufacturers in removing them from Australian cars. The ACCC says one year since the ACCC started overseeing the Takata airbag recall, 1.8 million potentially deadly airbags still need replacing as part…
Read More Almost two million deadly Takata airbags still in Australian cars
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CHOICE is calling for urgent reform to Australia’s product safety system as analysis shows children’s products consistently fail CHOICE lab tests for voluntary and mandatory safety standards. “From portable cots that fail suffocation tests to strollers with finger traps, safety failures are so routine it’s clear that manufacturers are not prioritising safety,” says CHOICE Head…
Read More Cots and strollers consistently failing CHOICE lab tests