When you plug your phone charger in to a wall socket, how do you know that it will fit? A new edition of the standard for plugs and sockets used in Australia and New Zealand, AS/NZS 3112, Approval and test specification - Plugs and socket – outlets, has been published. Read more here. Standards are [...]
Millions of people around the world today are subjected to modern slavery practices, such as servitude and forced labour. Australian businesses and consumers are benefiting from modern slavery in supply chains, including through access to cheaper labour and services. These are grave violations of human rights with devastating impacts which have no place in our [...]
The following is a piece by Dr Martin Gill, a CFA representative on a number of Standards Australia Technical Committees. Petrol pricing hides a complex global market. Consider the numerous steps in supplying petrol: Crude oil is traded on a wholesale market with prices affected by global events Highly risky searches are undertaken for new [...]
The following is an opinion piece by John Henry, who represents CFA on Standards Australia committee EV-015 Greenhouse Gas Measurement and Accounting, the national mirror committee to ISO/TC 207/SC 7. The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) has Climate Change Adaptation on its radar thanks to the sub-committee on Greenhouse Gas Measurement and Related Activities (ISO/TC [...]
Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) has begun civil proceedings against Origo & Co Pty Ltd (ACN: 140 019 656) - previously Daiso (Australia) Pty Ltd - in the Federal Court of Australia, for alleged contraventions of product safety provisions and other protections under the Australian Consumer Law. CAV will allege that between 2011 and 2016, the [...]
A new safety standard for decorative alcohol-fuelled devices, also known as ethanol burners, will ensure consumers’ safety, Small Business Minister Michael McCormack says. “I'm worried about the harm these products can cause consumers, which is why I've made a safety standard which particularly targets table-top devices which pose the greatest risk,” Mr McCormack said. Mr [...]
CFA have participated in the development of an international standard designed for people who may not be researchers or manufacturers of products using nanotechnology, but who none-the-less need to be familiar with the terms and definitions used in the field. CFA representative Elaine Attwood attended the recent interim meeting of ISO TC 229 Nanotechnologies JWG1 held [...]
Winter is here and Consumers’ Federation of Australia representatives have contributed to standards that ensure the safety of products we use in winter. The standards are developed via the Standards Australia Technical Committee process. ACCC Top tips for winter product safety are: Never use boiling water to fill your hot water bottle and replace it [...]
The International Organization for Standardization (IOS) has published a new standard for Sustainable Procurement - ISO 20400 Sustainable procurement. The standard applies to the purchasing decisions made by organisations when they choose suppliers. It ensures that a company’s suppliers behave ethically, that the products and services purchased are sustainable and capable of meeting organisation and [...]
BABIES’ dummies and dummy chains will be subject to a single product safety standard following a review by the consumer watchdog, Small Business Minister Michael McCormack says. “Dummies and dummy chains are an essential part of the baby bag for any new parent or those with toddlers. Parents deserve the certainty to know the products [...]
Consumers have embraced the opportunities of e-commerce and now a new model is being heralded as the 4th information revolution. Consumers Federation of Australia has appointed a representative to the technical committee developing the new blockchain standard. Blockchain is a ground breaking technology for peer to peer transition platforms that uses decentralised storage to record [...]
National Volunteer Week is the largest celebration of volunteers and volunteerism in Australia, and provides an opportunity to highlight the role of volunteers in our community. Consumers’ Federation of Australia thanks the volunteer representatives on the CFA Standards Project for their time and expertise in the development of Australian Standards which makes the world a [...]
