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Republished from The Age, 19 January 2018 A five-year-old boy had his finger amputated after it was trapped in a trampoline, a 10-year-old girl hurt her back on a rail while playing a jumping game called “crack the egg”, and a three-year-old boy fell to the ground and fractured his leg. Those are among the…
Read More Consumer group Choice calls for mandatory safety standards for trampolines
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The following piece is an excerpt from a piece by Dr. Martin Gill, CFA’s representative on a number of Standards Australia Technical Committees on energy. Retailers should be required to provide sufficient information on bills (and tariff contracts) to ensure consumers can easily compare tariffs. It is also recommended a review be undertaken to determine…
Read More Dr Gill on Simplifying Tariff Comparisons
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In the race to adopt electric vehicles, Australia is sputtering along in the slow lane. Rather than growing, Australian sales of electric cars are actually in decline. In 2016 they represented just 0.02% of new car sales – even lower than in 2013. Contrast that with Norway, the country with the highest levels of electric…
Read More Why is Australia slow in adopting electric cars?
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Recently Standards Australia and the Australian Government – Department of Industry, Innovation and Science presented at the APEC Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC) on the APEC Silver Economy Workshop and Recommendations Report APEC SCSC endorsed all four key recommendations: Recommendation One – APEC should accelerate and mainstream efforts in supporting ageing societies. Recommendation Two…
Read More Standards, Ageing Societies and the Silver Economy
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Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. The major cause of skin cancer is exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. The best way to protect you and your family is to cover up when in the sun: the more skin you cover, the better the protection. Clothing…
Read More Helping Consumers Choose Better Sun Protection
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Product safety standards for exercise bikes and treadmills have been maintained to ensure the safety of users, Minister for Small Business Michael McCormack says. “As Minister responsible for Consumer Affairs, one of my highest priorities is for Australian consumers’ safety,” Mr McCormack said. “Australians should feel confident when they purchase a good, the item will operate…
Read More Safety Standards for Exercise Equipment Reviewed and Maintained
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Free onsite and offsite access to Australian standards online, is being made available via membership of the National Library of Australia and the State Library of your domicile. Check the status with the library for more details. *This service is no longer available. Standards Australia will fund and make available access to Australian Standards by…
Read More Free Access to Australian Standards
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We take this opportunity to thank all the Consumers Federation of Australia Standards representatives for their hard work and achievements on the Standards Australia Technical Committees and international standards committees. World Standards Day promotes the role of standards in meeting the needs of consumers, industry, business and government. This year’s theme is “Standards make cities…
Read More World Standards Day 2017 – Standards Make Cities Smarter
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Standards Australia is seeking comments on the draft changes to the Australian Standard AS 3959 Construction of buildings in bushfire prone areas. Consumers Federation of Australia has a representative on the Standards Australia Technical Committee, which has been reviewing the standard over the past three years following the the Victorian Royal Commission. The review is also…
Read More Changes to Standards on Construction in Bushfire Prone Areas – Public Comment
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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…
Read More Plugs and Sockets Standard Gets an Update
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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…
Read More Federal Government Taking Submissions in Fight Against Modern Slavery – Standards
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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…
Read More Dr Gill Asks: Why Isn’t Electricity Priced as Clearly as Petrol?
