Two clients of a WA builder have transferred a total of $72,000 to scammers believing they were paying instalments towards the construction of their homes. The two payments of $38,000 and $34,000 were made when the consumers received emails purporting to be from their builder requesting the payments be made to a different bank account. The emails were fake and the consumers are now attempting to...

The State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) has imposed a $20,000 fine and ordered further training after a father-and-son building partnership breached WA’s building laws in relation to defects at three new homes. The disciplinary allegations against the partnership between Jason Zachariah Burns and his father, Richard Burns (BP4649), trading as Jason Burns Homes (BC13540, expired), were referred to...

The average cost of unleaded petrol is set to increase by around 21 cents per litre (cpl) to 134.7 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 8 January 2019, all Caltex Woolworths and most Coles Express, 7-Eleven and Caltex sites are increasing their ULP price to 139.9 cpl (increasing by between 28.6 cpl and 29 cpl)...

Wageline has now reopened after the Christmas and New Year period. We are excited to start a new year fresh and ready to help you with your employment queries on state employment law. Wageline deals with queries about: pay rates, leave entitlements and other employment arrangements for employers and employees in the WA state industrial relations system long service leave for employees working in...

Western Australians are well known for their generosity but donors need to ensure that they are dealing with a licensed organisation to ensure their money reaches the intended recipients. Always ask for identification from door-to-door charity collectors and, if you do donate to them, get a receipt. Times for door-to-door collections for a charitable purpose are between 9am and 6pm Monday to...

Employers are being reminded of the limitations that apply when employing young people over the school holidays. While the Christmas holidays are the perfect time for teenagers to earn some money, employers looking for help over the busy period need to understand that restrictions apply when employing young people and that they need to comply with their obligations under the Children and...

A vehicle examiner found to have engaged in corrupt activities has been banned by the State Administrative Tribunal from holding a motor vehicle repairer’s business licence or being involved in a licensed repair business for three years. Troy Pintabona of Walliston, Director of Mustang Holdings (WA) Pty Ltd , was also reprimanded and ordered to pay a fine of $1,500. The company has agreed to...

A no-frills unmanned service station in Forrestfield has been named the cheapest site in Perth for unleaded petrol in 2018. According to FuelWatch data, FastFuel 24/7 had an average of 135.7 cents per litre (cpl) for the year, followed by United Neerabup on 136.1 cpl and Puma Neerabup on 136.3 cpl. Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard said the top ten cheapest sites in Perth were...

WorkSafe has issued a safety alert reminding painting professionals and other contractors that high pressure water cleaning of asbestos cement material is prohibited. WorkSafe is investigating an incident where a registered painter used a high pressure water cleaner on an asbestos cement roof to prepare it for painting. This resulted in the property and neighbouring properties being contaminated...

In December 2018 Mr Darren Kavanagh was appointed the WorkSafe Western Australia Commissioner. Mr Kavanagh commences this role with a high level of knowledge and experience gained from more than 20 years working in occupational safety and health, in both National and State legislative jurisdictions. His extensive career in occupational safety and health has included appointment as a member of the...

It’s that time of the year where people are getting their last minute Christmas shopping done and most businesses are preparing to wind down for the holiday period. Although it is a time for most employers and employees to switch off and take a break, it is important to understand your employment obligations over the festive holiday period. This season’s public holidays are: Christmas Day,...

For many of us, summer is the season to relax and unwind but this is also the time of year when travelling tradespeople start approaching householders and businesses with ‘cheap’ deals on jobs like roof painting and bitumen laying. Travelling salespeople often use high pressure tactics to make their deal and can charge exorbitant rates for sometimes sub-standard work, so we are reminding...