Western Australian Consumer Protection Awards
CP Awards 2012 The 8th Consumer Protection Awards
A woman who established a financial support organisation, a major regional council and a group campaigning for child safety are this year’s recipients of the prestigious Consumer Protection Awards.
For the first time, a media category was included in the 2012 awards, which were presented by Commerce Minister Simon O'Brien during a ceremony at the University Club of Western Australia.
You can see coverage of the awards in the video below:
2012 winner details
Rona Okely Award
Ms Lyndsey Fitzgerald, who established the Jacaranda Community Centre in Belmont in 2000, was declared winner of the Rona Okely Award – named after the well known WA consumer protection pioneer. Ms Fitzgerald is the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre which offers financial counselling and welfare support services for people on low incomes. Jacaranda was initiated by Aboriginal people wanting a Centre where they felt they could belong, without it being a solely Indigenous organisation.
Richard (Dick) Fletcher Award
Winner of the Richard (Dick) Fletcher Award (named after the late former Consumer Affairs Commissioner) was the City of Greater Geraldton. The Council has introduced an innovative star rating system to ensure that food produced and sold in their region is of the highest quality and standard for consumers.
The Kidsafe WA award
The Kidsafe WA award went to Parents for Window Blind Safety, an organisation which focuses on raising awareness and educating the community about the danger of curtain and blind cords to young children. The group was established after the tragic death of a child from a blind cord in 2006 and has contributed to mandatory safety standards being introduced.
The Media Award
The Media Award was won by ABC TV reporter, Jake Sturmer, for his two-part series on 7.30 WA investigating a property developer who was accused of misleading consumers and failing to honour obligations under contracts with property owners.