Product Safety Archives - Consumers' Federation of Australia

30 November , 2023

Riff Raff Penalised Over Alleged False or Misleading Infant Sleep Aid Toys Ads

Online national retailer Riff Raff Baby Pty Ltd has paid penalties of $132,000 after the ACCC issued it with eight infringement notices for allegedly making false or misleading statements about its comforter toys being safe for sleep from birth.

Riff Raff has also provided the ACCC with a court-enforceable undertaking in which it admits that the advertisements for its sleep aid toys were likely to have breached the Australian Consumer Law.

“Based on these advertisements by Riff Raff, parents and caregivers may have thought that these products are safe for babies to sleep next to in an unsupervised sleep environment, when in fact there are serious safety risks. These types of products can cover a baby’s nose and mouth, which can pose a risk of fatal suffocation,” ACCC Deputy Chair, Catriona Lowe said.

27 November , 2023

Expansion of Digital Platforms Demonstrates “critical need for regulatory reform”

Digital platforms with significant market power can use practices like bundling or tying of products, pre-installation and default settings to limit customer choice or deter innovation from competitors.
“Australians increasingly use digital platforms for work, study and play and can benefit from their wide range of interconnected products and services. While the size and scale of digital platforms alone does not raise concern, there is a risk that this expansion may be driven by a desire from digital platforms to entrench or extend their market power,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.

23 November , 2023

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Opens Draft Industry Standards to Public Consultation

“eSafety and indeed the wider community, expect that all online services, should be taking all reasonable steps to prevent their services from being used to store, share and distribute this horrific content and that’s what these standards are intended to achieve.”

21 November , 2023

National Safety Notice Issued for Recalled LG Solar Batteries

Original media release by the ACCC (20/11/2023). Following a recommendation by the ACCC, the Assistant Treasurer, the Hon. Stephen Jones, has today issued a national safety warning notice to warn consumers of fire risks associated with recalled LG solar lithium-ion batteries which are installed in solar energy systems across the country. The safety warning notice was issued…

9 November , 2023

Greenwashing a ‘misleading statement’ says ASIC

Greenwashing is simply misleading and deceptive conduct by another name, writes ASIC Deputy Chair Sarah Court FAICD.

30 October , 2023

Initial Report and Recommendations from the First Nations Digital Inclusion Published

Digital inclusion is a deeply complex issue, with access, affordability and digital ability all playing a role in the extent to which First Nations people and communities are digitally included.

Digital inclusion enables a range of benefits, including supporting economic participation, access to government services, social connectedness, and enjoyment of entertainment and leisure activities.

30 October , 2023

Guidelines for Plant-Based Product Labelling

This information is shared so consumer representatives can keep up-to-date with developments in industry food labelling.

24 October , 2023

Have your say on the revised swimming pool standard

Drowning is the third most common cause of death for Australian children aged one to 14. Children can drown in as little as 20 seconds – one-and two-year-old children are particularly at risk, read more and find out about Water Safety Rules for Children. Statistical evidence shows that the majority of drowning deaths in private…

17 October , 2023

Improved Standard a Significant Advancement for Safe Motor Vehicle Travel

Standards Australia has published a world first standard AS 5384 Accessories for seats belts used in motor vehicles which provides quality assurance to consumers who require such additional safety features not provided by standard motor vehicle seatbelts.

12 October , 2023

ACCC Issues PSA on Lithium-Ion Battery Safety

In more battery related news, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issues a Public Service Announcement on the safe use and storage of lithium-ion batteries as part of a larger push to improve safety standards around Li-ion batteries and prevent potentially deadly and highly damaging fires.

12 October , 2023

Tesla Penalised for Alleged Breach of Button Battery Safety Standards

The ACCC alleges Tesla failed to conduct the required safety tests before supplying three of its key fob models and two of its illuminated door sill models and failed to provide the mandatory safety warnings on these products as required by the standard.

11 October , 2023

LG Solar Batteries Recalled – Consumers Urged to Check and Switch Off Affected Batteries Immediately

All households with a solar storage system need to urgently check if the system has a recalled LG battery installed and should switch off affected batteries immediately, the ACCC has warned.

When these batteries malfunction there is a serious risk of injury or death due to the affected batteries overheating and causing a fire.