Food, Health and Product Safety Archives - Page 23 of 46

13 February , 2019

Biggest overhaul of building laws in NSW history

New home owners in NSW will be better protected after the NSW Government announced strong plans to improve the building and construction industry. Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean said the plan, which includes appointing a Building Commissioner, has been months in the making, after the Building Ministers’ Forum (BMF) commissioned an independent report into…

24 January , 2019

Consultation: Meaning of ‘unsafe’ and ‘reasonable durability’ in Australian Consumer Law

Consumer Affairs Australia New Zealand (CAANZ) are consulting on the meaning of ‘unsafe’ and ‘reasonable durability’ contained in the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) consumer guarantees. This follows a recommendation of the 2017 Final Report of the Review of the ACL – the review found that the lack of clarity of the meaning of ‘unsafe’ and…

19 December , 2018

Only 1 in 4 say their homes are energy efficient

Energy Consumers Australia has released new data that underlines the important opportunity for improving housing quality as a way to tackle high energy bills. Many Australian homes are expensive to heat or to cool because they are poorly insulated, a problem which is often worse for renters. Not only does this make energy unaffordable for…

12 December , 2018

Parents warned: 18 products fail CHOICE pram test

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…

4 December , 2018

New standard to help minimise risks at trampoline parks

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…

30 November , 2018

Consumers Society TV – The Buggle Baby Monitor

This 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…

30 November , 2018

Fairer health insurance

Our health system should empower and support us to live happy and healthy lives. But increasingly, thousands of us are feeling frustrated by high-cost, low-value and overly complex health insurance policies. CHOICE research finds the majority of us don’t feel like we get value from our health insurance and are hit with high costs when…

8 November , 2018

Consumers call on Aldi to improve shelf labels

The Queensland Consumers Association is calling on Aldi to made the unit prices on its supermarket “new look” shelf labels much more prominent and legible. Association spokesperson, Ian Jarratt, says the unit prices on the new labels being widely introduced are much less easy for consumers to notice and read than those on the old…

5 November , 2018

Convertible tricycle strollers – have your say

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…

30 October , 2018

Consumers want more help to reduce the cost of keeping cool

The Queensland Consumers Association wants governments and industry to do much more to help consumers reduce the cost of using air conditioners when temperatures and humidity levels are high. The Association is particularly concerned about the lack of information available for consumers about using air conditioners in eco/econ mode. Association spokesperson, Ian Jarratt, says many…

25 October , 2018

Peak consumer group calls on Ministers to fast track priority consumer protections

Ahead 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…

10 October , 2018

Trampoline Parks and Injuries

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…