Announcements

Showing 26 - 50 of 2161 results

Carpenter ordered to pay $10,000 after taking money for no work (Benjamin McVilly / BDM Carpentry)

A Perth carpenter has been ordered to pay more than $10,000 in fines, compensation and costs by the Midland Magistrates Court after taking deposits from consumers but failing to do the work. Benjamin Dean McVilly , trading as BDM Carpentry of Caversham, was fined a total of $5,000 on three charges of accepting payments for carpentry materials and installation but failing to supply them, in breach...
Consumer Protection
Media release
28 Nov 2019

Home builder fined for lack of insurance and permit – Compass Building Pty Ltd (BC33514, expired) and Robin Pyle (BP4373)

The Building Services Board has fined a Mount Pleasant building practitioner and his company $6,000 in total for starting construction of a two-storey house in Doubleview without the required home indemnity insurance (HII) or building permit. Compass Building Pty Ltd (BC33514, expired) was fined $3,500 for negligence under WA’s building registration laws. The company’s director and nominated...
Building and Energy
Media release
28 Nov 2019

Christmas – New Year 2019–20 public holiday information

The Christmas/ New Year period is fast approaching and it is important to understand public holiday obligations for the festive season. This season's public holidays are: Christmas Day, Wednesday 25 December 2019 Boxing Day, Thursday 26 December 2019 New Year's Day, Wednesday 1 January 2020 Employers and employees should be aware of their employment obligations on these public holidays. The...
Labour Relations
Department News
28 Nov 2019

Kitchen renovator in court over excessive deposit – Micheal (Michael) Clinton Cockburn

A Wangara cabinetmaker has been fined $3,300 and ordered to pay more than $500 in costs after taking a deposit that was six times the maximum allowed. At Joondalup Magistrates Court earlier this month, Micheal Clinton Cockburn (who is also known by the spelling Michael) pleaded guilty to a breach of WA’s home building contract legislation following a prosecution by Building and Energy. The court...
Building and Energy
Media release
27 Nov 2019

New workplace safety laws tabled in Parliament

The State Government today tabled the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Bill in Parliament, paving the way for more modern workplace safety laws that apply to all industries. For more information Media statement - Hon Bill Johnston MLA Work Health and Safety Bill 2019
WorkSafe
Alert
27 Nov 2019

Avoid Perth petrol price rise

The average cost of unleaded petrol is set to increase by around 19 cents per litre (cpl) to 155.5 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 26 November 2019, most branded retailers are hiking their ULP price - Caltex hiking by 30 cpl to 165.9 cpl, BP and Coles Express to 163.9 cpl, Caltex Woolworths, Puma and 7-...
Consumer Protection
Media release
25 Nov 2019

Property sale mistakes result in fine for York real estate agency (Avon Districts Professionals Pty Ltd / Nicola Di Giulio)

Mistakes made on a property sale contract have resulted in a York real estate agency and its operator being reprimanded and fined a total of $6,000 by the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT). Avon Districts Professionals Pty Ltd , trading as Westerntown & Country.com.au , and supervising agent Nicola Di Giulio were each fined $3,000 and both were ordered to pay $700 in costs for breaching the...
Consumer Protection
Media release
22 Nov 2019

Product recall - Suburban Recreational Vehicle water heaters

A national product recall has been issued for Suburban Recreational Vehicle water heaters fitted to Australian made caravans and motorhomes. The affected models are SW6DEA, SW4DEA, SW4DECA, SW6DECA, SW6DA, SW4DA and SW6PA and were available for sale by Coast RV PTY Ltd between 4 April 2018 and 25 September 2019. If the unit is powered by gas and is operated in an enclosed area, such as a caravan...
Building and Energy
Alert
21 Nov 2019

Commissioner's Blog: Bushfires equals fake charity scams

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard Seeing the recent bushfires is horrifying for most of us and we just want to help somehow. But unfortunately scammers see it as an opportunity to impersonate charities, or create fake charities. This can happen online, via social media or website pop-ups, or in person, such as at your front door or on the street. It’s doubly cruel because...
Consumer Protection
Media release
21 Nov 2019

Changes to DMIRS website

From this afternoon, we will be making minor changes to our website. The changes will include improvements to the navigation and content organisation, making it easier for you to access our services and key information. Please check your bookmark links, as they may need updating.
Corporate
Alert
20 Nov 2019

Summer safety campaign aims to prevent injuries and save lives

Summer, school holidays and Christmas should be times of fun and relaxation and Consumer Protection wants to make sure that they are also safe times for everyone. In the 12 months from July 2018 to June 2019, there were 276 drowning deaths in Australia with 31 of them occurring in swimming pools*. Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard is concerned that these figures are higher than...
Consumer Protection
Media release
18 Nov 2019

Avoid Perth petrol price rise

The average cost of unleaded petrol is set to increase by around 20 cents per litre (cpl) to 155.4 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 19 November 2019, most branded retailers are increasing their ULP price - Caltex hiking by 33 cpl to 167.9 cpl, BP to 164.9 cpl, Coles Express to 163.9 cpl and Caltex Woolworths...
Consumer Protection
Media release
18 Nov 2019

Registration cancelled and fine for builder who provided false information – David James Shaw

A former building practitioner who provided false or misleading information in his registration application has been fined $2,500 by the Building Services Board and has voluntarily cancelled his registration. David James Shaw (BP102430, cancelled) was granted building practitioner registration in March 2017 after submitting an application that included information to support the criteria of...
Building and Energy
Media release
14 Nov 2019

Commissioner's Blog: Review of WA tenancy laws coming soon

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard It’s been more than 10 years since Western Australia’s tenancy laws were reviewed and times have certainly changed. So, Consumer Protection is set to review the Residential Tenancies Act 1987 and we are going to want to hear from you. The high cost of owning a home means more people in WA are renting. Meanwhile people with investment...
Consumer Protection
Media release
14 Nov 2019

Insurance oversight costs owner-builder – Jonathon Robert Reardon

WA’s building regulator is urging owner-builders to ensure they fully understand their obligations after a Perth man was fined $2,400 for selling his house without the necessary home indemnity insurance. At Joondalup Magistrates Court on 1 November 2019, Jonathon Robert Reardon pleaded guilty to an offence under WA’s home building contract laws following a prosecution by Building and Energy. The...
Building and Energy
Media release
13 Nov 2019

Dangerous gas connection ‘fortunate’ to not cause serious injury

A registered gas fitter has been ordered to pay more than $10,000 for his potentially deadly connection of a natural gas cooker to a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supply, which caused a fireball to erupt when the appliance was used. Following a prosecution by Building and Energy (formerly Energy Safety ), the gas fitter pleaded guilty at Perth Magistrates Court to two breaches of WA’s gas...
Building and Energy
Media release
11 Nov 2019

Avoid Perth petrol price rise

The average cost of unleaded petrol is set to increase by around 20 cents per litre (cpl) to 153.3 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 12 November 2019, most branded retailers are increasing their ULP price. BP, Caltex and Coles Express sites are increasing between 29 and 32 cpl to 162.9 cpl, Caltex Woolworths...
Consumer Protection
Media release
11 Nov 2019

Real estate agent fined for failing to cooperate with audit (Greg O’Farrell)

A real estate agent has been fined $500 and ordered to pay costs of $553.90 by the Mandurah Magistrates Court for failing to cooperate with requests from the auditor during the termination audit of his previous business. Gregory James O’Farrell , former Director of O’Farrell Property Group Pty Ltd of Mandurah, did not renew the company’s triennial certificate and the business ceased to operate in...
Consumer Protection
Media release
11 Nov 2019

Commissioner's Blog: Time to nominate for the Consumer Protection Awards

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard I remember the first time we held the Consumer Protection Awards in 2004 and I’m proud that the annual event has become firmly fixed in the Western Australian calendar as an opportunity to acknowledge community contributions to consumer protection. Many individuals, organisations, businesses and media professionals are involved in helping...
Consumer Protection
Media release
08 Nov 2019

Employee or subcontractor

It is important to understand the difference between whether a worker is an employee or a subcontractor as different obligations apply. For example, if a worker is legally an employee but they are instead engaged as a subcontractor, they may be entitled to claim for unpaid leave entitlements, penalty rates and superannuation. A subcontractor is not an employee, but rather a worker running their...
Labour Relations
Department News
07 Nov 2019

Alert issued after scammers steal $70,000 by cloning a settlement agent email

Home and business buyers as well as real estate and settlement agents in WA are urged to be on high alert after two payments totalling $70,000 meant for a Perth settlement agent were stolen by scammers. The scammers had cloned the settlement agent’s Yahoo email address, changing just one character, and sent a payment request for $48,000 to the buyer of a business. The email contained details of a...
Consumer Protection
Media release
07 Nov 2019

WorkSafe prosecutes building company involved in backpacker death

WorkSafe has initiated prosecution action against the building company that employed a labour hire backpacker who died as a result of a fall in 2016. WorkSafe’s investigation was conducted as a result of that death, and while no charges have been laid in relation to the incident, other breaches were identified during the course of the investigation and this prosecution is the result. Hanssen Pty...
WorkSafe
Media release
07 Nov 2019

WorkSafe investigates death of worker at Wootatting

WorkSafe is investigating the work-related death of a 63-year-old truck driver at a workplace in Wootatting (near York) yesterday. The man was believed to have been performing repair or maintenance work on a truck in a workshop when he was caught between the wheel arch and the tyre. Inspectors travelled to the site last night and will continue to closely examine the circumstances of the incident...
WorkSafe
Media release
06 Nov 2019

Building surveyors fined $35,000 over unsafe fire approvals – Resolve Group Pty Ltd; Scott Michael Roberts; Kieran James Hunt

A Perth building surveying company and its two directors have been fined a total of $35,000 for negligence after signing off on three buildings that failed to meet fire safety requirements. Applecross-based registered building surveying contractor Resolve Group Pty Ltd (BSC31) and registered building surveying practitioners Scott Michael Roberts (BSP244) and Kieran James Hunt (BSP2224) were the...
Building and Energy
Media release
05 Nov 2019

Child care centre program reveals problems with hazardous substances

A proactive inspection program looking at safety issues in WA’s child care centres has revealed a widespread lack of risk assessment and training in hazardous substances. The program, which included both government and private childcare centres in metropolitan and regional areas of the State, was undertaken because child care was a relatively new work area and had not been closely examined for...
WorkSafe
Media release
05 Nov 2019

Pages