The adoption of eNotice by the plumbing industry has been very positive with feedback showing a high level of satisfaction with the system. As a result, Building and Energy will be ending the sales of paper notices later this year. From 1 October 2019 paper Notices of intention and Certificates of compliance will no longer be available for purchase, however, contractors may continue to lodge...
The average price of unleaded petrol is set to increase by over 18 cents per litre (cpl) to 152.3 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 9 April 2019, most Coles Express sites are increasing their ULP price to 159.9 cpl (hiking by 23 cpl). Most BP sites are increasing their ULP price to 157.9 cpl, most Caltex...
The Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme is an Australian government initiative in partnership with state and territory governments. During the past year the WELS team has been engaged in ‘Project New Build’, working to increase the building industry’s compliance through education, engagement and inspections. For information on this project and other important WELS updates...
WITH COMMISSIONER FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION, DAVID HILLYARD Following a recent ceiling collapse at a Thornlie property, home owners are reminded to act promptly on warning signs of ceiling stress. A ceiling collapse can cause serious injury to anyone present at the time of collapse and it can also cause extensive damage to a room’s contents and structure...
The Western Australian public holidays for the 2019 Easter period are: Good Friday – Friday 19 April Easter Monday – Monday 22 April While Easter Saturday is not considered a public holiday in Western Australia, some WA awards require employees to be paid additional rates on this day. To check if this applies to your situation visit the WA award summaries page or alternatively contact Wageline ...
The Drainage Plumbing Diagram (DPD) system used for purchasing DPDs will be upgraded next week. The enhanced system will work the same way but will provide a shopping cart feature to allow for multiple purchases and overall improved delivery. The upgrade will take one hour and the DPD search function will be down during this time. It is proposed to occur next week and will be outside of office...
The average price of unleaded petrol is set to increase by over 18 cents per litre (cpl) to 151.2 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 2 April 2019, many Coles Express sites are increasing their ULP price to 158.9 cpl (hiking by 23 cpl). Most Caltex sites are increasing their ULP price to 156.9 cpl, most BP and 7...
Some regional areas in Western Australia hold the Queen's Birthday public holiday on different dates. The dates for 2019 are now available on the Regional dates for the Queen's Birthday public holiday page. In all other areas of Western Australia, the Queen's Birthday public holiday will be held on Monday 30 September 2019.
Consumer Protection is warning landlords who manage their own rental properties in WA to comply with their legal requirements under the Residential Tenancies Act or face being prosecuted. The warning follows a court case on 21 March 2019 in the Perth Magistrates Court where landlord Mark Alasdair Adam , formerly of Bayswater but now residing in Sydney, was convicted in his absence and fined $10,...
Consumer Protection and the WA Police Force are making a desperate plea to the community to help them hunt down travelling conmen who are ripping off Perth home owners, many of them seniors, in a roofing scam. Reports have been received of conmen who knock on doors of unsuspecting home owners, convincing them that urgent roof repairs are required to their homes. They then charge exorbitant rates...
UPDATE 27/03/2019: Consumer Protection has received about 90 calls/emails from consumers affected by the closure of Launch Film Productions, with funds at risk estimated at $450,000. Liquidator appointed is Katie Blyth, PricewaterhouseCoopers 9238 3000 - www.pwc.com.au Consumer Protection is investigating the closure of a Wangara wedding photography business which has alarmed many consumers...
The average price of unleaded petrol is set to increase by more than 19 cents per litre (cpl) to 150.1 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 26 March 2019, most Coles Express sites are increasing their ULP price to 156.9 cpl (hiking by 24 cpl). Most 7-Eleven sites are increasing their ULP price to 155.9 cpl, most...
A Mount Barker car restorer has been fined $5,000 by the Perth Magistrates Court for advertising his services without having a motor vehicle repair business licence. Grantley Peter Graham , trading as G & T Restorations , was also ordered to pay costs of $514 when he was convicted in his absence on 22 February 2019 of breaching the Motor Vehicle Repairers Act. Mr Graham held a motor vehicle...
A 70 year old WA man has fallen victim to an elaborate card game gambling scam, losing about $300,000 to fraudsters in the Philippines over a 15 month period. The complex scam began when the victim was approached and befriended by a man at a shopping centre in Manila where the victim revealed he was looking for an apartment and a partner. The Filipino man invited the victim back to his home to...
WA home owners are being warned by Consumer Protection and Building and Energy not to deal with roof repair conmen who have approached three consumers, with one handing over $7,000 for work that wasn’t carried out. One of the consumers was approached at his home by three men in a white ute wearing fluoro shirts who told him that his roof and gutters needed urgent repairs. The dodgy door knockers...
Rosie Batty has given her support to planned changes to WA tenancy laws to assist renters affected by family and domestic violence (FDV). The former Australian of the Year (2015), who has been a domestic violence campaigner since her son Luke was tragically murdered by his father, gave the endorsement during a visit to Kalgoorlie, where she met with Consumer Protection’s Senior Regional Officer...
On 1 October 2019, amendments to the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996 (OSH Regulations) will come into effect. The amendments lower the blood lead removal level thresholds for workers and changes the definition of ‘lead-risk job’. Lead stays in the blood for several months. It is important to take action now to ensure that when the new laws come into effect the blood lead levels of...
Submissions to the Inquiry into Wage Theft in Western Australia are closing next week, on Wednesday 27 March 2019. The Inquiry is being undertaken by Mr Tony Beech, former Chief Commissioner of the WA Industrial Relations Commission. Wage theft is the systematic and deliberate underpayment of wages or entitlements to a worker. The Inquiry terms of reference include: Whether there is evidence of...
Consumer Protection today paid tribute to Karen Merrin, a tireless champion of the community services sector, who has lost her battle with cancer. Karen, a Consumer Protection Award winner in 2017, was the inaugural manager of the Northern Suburbs Community Legal Centre (NSCLC) in Mirrabooka when it first opened in 1996. The Centre delivers advice, advocacy and representation to almost 4,000...
The average price of unleaded petrol is set to increase by over 20 cents per litre (cpl) to 148.3 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 19 March 2019, most 7-Eleven sites are increasing their ULP price to 154.9 cpl (hiking by 28 cpl). Most Caltex, Caltex Woolworths, BP and Coles Express sites are increasing their...
Consumer Protection has launched their new logo on World Consumer Rights Day with a busy year ahead planned for their work protecting consumers in WA. The new logo incorporates the umbrella from the previous logo which represents protection but is more colourful with the aim of making it stand out. Commissioner for Consumer Protection Lanie Chopping said the vibrant colours are designed to make...
A rigger has been fined $4000 (and ordered to pay $10,000 in costs) over an incident in which two construction workers were crushed by a tilt-up panel in the city in 2015. Benjamin Paul Botica pleaded guilty to failing to take reasonable care to avoid adversely affecting the safety or health of others, and was fined in the Perth Magistrates Court today. In November 2015, four workers from a Perth...
If you are an employer in the State industrial relations system, it is a good idea to review employee pay rates regularly to ensure that they are in line with the current rates in the relevant award , or the minimum pay rates for award free employees if no award applies. The Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission reviews the minimum weekly rates of pay under state awards and the state...
Now summer is officially over, our attention may soon turn to gas heaters and other gas appliances in the home. A recent safety alert affecting four popular gas heaters is a timely reminder that any gas equipment should be used and maintained correctly to avoid potentially dangerous consequences. Along with our colleagues at Building and Energy (formerly Energy Safety ), Consumer Protection is...
A Wanneroo couple involved in a landscaping business has been fined $12,000 by the Perth Magistrates Court on 8 March 2019 and ordered to pay a total of $32,986.67 in compensation to five out of six consumers for taking deposits but not commencing or completing the work. Kylie Elizabeth Sommer , trading as Inspired Paving , and her husband Scott Robert Sommer , who was involved in the business,...