43 per cent of button battery products inspected failed to meet product safety standards 19 Infringement Notices issued in WA Button battery emergency department presentations have halved in last two years 43 per cent of inspected products containing button batteries failed to meet product safety standards in Western Australia since mandatory button battery laws came into effect last year. The...

Ongoing cost of living pressures mean many Western Australians will be looking forward to receiving tax refunds, but the end of a financial year is also a time when scammers emerge with false promises of monetary windfalls. In a sign scammers are once again ramping up their tax-time efforts, our WA ScamNet team has received reports of a phishing email claiming to be from the Australian Tax Office...

Motorists in Perth and Mandurah are advised to fill up now if they need to, with petrol prices set to rise tomorrow. After today motorists will likely have to wait a week before petrol prices are again at the bottom of the price cycle. FuelWatch reports that, from 6am tomorrow (Wednesday 28 June 2023), the average price of regular unleaded petrol (ULP) will increase by over 28 cents per litre (...

Real estate agent lost $329,500 to remote access bank scam Scammers posed as bank on phone and knew latest transactions in the account Agents urged to not give out access codes or allow remote access Consumer Protection is warning the real estate and settlement industries to be extra vigilant to calls from their bank after scammers successfully stole $329,500 from a WA real estate agent’s trust...

They come in all shapes and sizes to power many different devices, yet every battery has the potential to become a menace if they end up in your rubbish or recycling bin. Some batteries contain toxic chemicals, heavy metals and other pollutants that can contaminate water supplies when they enter landfill, while rechargeable lithium-ion batteries become fire hazards if they are damaged or crushed...

The Commerce Regulations Amendment (Building Services) Regulations 2023 (Amendment Regulations), to introduce registration for building engineers in WA, were released for public consultation from 17 August to 24 October 2022. Building and Energy received 17 submissions on this draft.

Many WA awards require employees to be paid a location allowance when employed in certain regional towns. Location allowances have just been increased by the 2023 Location Allowance General Order, and new rates take effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2023. The new rates for each town and a list of the relevant WA awards are available on the Location allowance for employees...

Motorists in Perth and Mandurah are advised to fill up now if they need to, with petrol prices set to rise tomorrow. After today motorists will likely have to wait a week before petrol prices are again at the bottom of the price cycle. FuelWatch reports that, from 6am tomorrow (Wednesday 14 June 2023), the average price of regular unleaded petrol (ULP) will increase by over 28 cents per litre (...

There’s nothing easy about losing a loved one, but we hope new WA laws will go a long way towards clearing up any confusion about what their final farewell will cost. Funeral companies must now publicly display their prices upfront to give consumers the chance to compare costs without having to meet with a representative from the business to get this information. Consumers should now receive a...

Monday 5 June is the public holiday for Western Australia Day Wageline is closed for the public holiday and reopens at 9am on Tuesday 6 June. State system employers and employees can check public holiday entitlements on the Western Australia Day public holiday entitlements for 2023 page of the Wageline website. The page details public holiday entitlements for Western Australia Day 2023 for: state...

Western Australia’s rental market has never been tighter, but it doesn’t mean tenants should accept living in homes that are falling into disrepair, have mould or electrical safety issues. So far this year, Consumer Protection has received 367 enquiries and 32 complaints about rental repair and maintenance issues, but we suspect these figures are only a small proportion of the actual number of...