A Broome real estate agent was fined $6,000 by the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) on 10 August 2018 for failing to properly supervise an employee who had made an unauthorised withdrawal from the agency’s trust account. Anthony J Hutchinson Pty Ltd , trading as Hutchinson Real Estate , was also required to pay $500 in costs after admitting that he failed to exercise due skill, care and...

The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety – Building and Energy Division (Building and Energy) has recently been made aware of some gate latch assemblies, incorporating key locks, which do not comply with the relevant Australian Standard. These types of latches are commonly used in frameless glass pool fencing and gates. Building and Energy understands that these are imported and...

WorkSafe continues to participate in roadblock exercises, with the latest one revealing a reasonable level of compliance with fatigue management and related laws. WorkSafe recently participated in a joint roadblock operation undertaken by Main Roads WA. The exercise saw WorkSafe inspectors stationed at the road train assembly area at Northam conducting inspections of commercial vehicles to check...

Industrial Inspectors in the Private Sector Labour Relations Division assisted Western Australian workers recover a total of $458,290 in unpaid wages and entitlements in the last financial year. This amount included nearly $300,000 in unpaid long service leave and $137,000 in wages and other entitlements under WA awards, such as annual leave and tool allowances. The largest amount was $30,000 for...

The Consumer Protection Kalgoorlie office is moving from its current location on Brookman Street to the department’s West Kalgoorlie office on the corners of Hunter and Broadwood Streets. The Brookman Street office will close on Friday 31 August at 12.30pm and will reopen in the West Kalgoorlie office on Monday 3 September 2018 at 8.30am. There will be no change to the services provided by the...

The average cost of unleaded petrol is set to increase by around 17 cents per litre (cpl) to 153.1 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 14 August 2018, most BP, Puma and Coles Express sites are increasing their ULP price to 159.9 cpl (an increase of between 20 cpl and 26 cpl). Most 7-Eleven sites are increasing...

A Huntingdale man has been fined $9,500 by the Joondalup Magistrates Court for selling vehicles from his home without a licence. Grant William James Hislop failed to appear in court on 3 August 2018, and the matter proceeded in his absence. Mr Hislop was convicted of unlicensed motor vehicle dealing in relation to 18 cars that were bought, and then 12 sold, during a 12 month period. Costs of $205...

Some quick checks and routine maintenance could have prevented the explosion of a storage water heater outside a home in Perth’s north, according to Building and Energy inspectors who attended the site. The incident is a timely reminder for owners of all storage water heaters – gas, electric and solar – to follow the recommended maintenance schedule, which usually involves simple checks every few...

A common misconception amongst employers and employees is that casual employees are not entitled to long service leave. The state long service leave obligations in the Long Service Leave Act apply to most WA businesses, including businesses covered by national modern awards. Under the Long Service Leave Act , full time, part time and casual employees are all entitled to long service leave. The...

WA consumers have recouped a total of $3.85 million in the 2017/18 financial year as a result of Consumer Protection’s dispute resolution efforts. The bulk of the consumer redress achieved was for motor vehicle buyers who had just over $2 million returned to them either by manufacturers or dealers, mostly in the form of refunds for faulty vehicles or upgrades to a newer model of car, truck, four-...

A Queens Park man has been fined $3,000 by the Perth Magistrates Court for selling vehicles from his home without a licence. Ali Hadi pleaded guilty on 27 July 2018 of breaching the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act and was also ordered to pay costs of $546. Between June 2016 and April 2018, Mr Hadi bought 66 motor vehicles and sold 63 vehicles, mostly via Gumtree. Commissioner for Consumer Protection...

All businesses which employ children must comply with the laws on where, when and at what age children can be employed. The Children and Community Services Act 2004 regulates employment of children in Western Australia and these laws apply to all employers throughout the State. In most industries, children under 15 cannot be employed unless they are working in a family business run by a relative...