In recent years, concerns have been raised regarding incidents resulting from leaked gas due to a known weakness in the current Type 21 ‘POL’ cylinder valve. After considerable consultation, Standards Australia have published AS/NSZ 5601.1:2013 Amendment 4 and AS/NSZ 5601.2:2020 which include a change from the current Type 21 ‘POL’ connection on a LPG cylinder to a new safer leisure cylinder connection (LCC27). The standards refer to this as the Type 27 connection.

Consumer Protection is advising WA holidaymakers to carefully consider the terms and conditions of their travel bookings in relation to cancellations or postponements, with recent border openings expected to spark a travel surge particularly over the Christmas and summer holiday season. Travellers should consider what their options might be if border closures or restrictions are re-imposed before...

An Ellenbrook real estate agency has been reprimanded and fined by the State Administrative Tribunal for employing an unregistered sales representative. HKY Real Estate Pty Ltd was fined $7,000 while the unregistered sales representative Shane David Penny was fined $1,500, in addition to costs of $500 each for breaching the Real Estate and Business Agents Act. Mr Penny held a certificate of...

WA consumers are being warned about an asbestos and demolition operator who is misleading the community, by falsely claiming to hold valid WorkSafe licences which have expired or were once held by companies that have since been liquidated. David Michael Scofield of Applecross, is the registrant of the website www.actionasbestos.com.au which contains a reference to “Class 2 Demolition Licence No...

The WA minimum wage and WA award rates of pay are increasing by 1.75% in January 2021. State system employers should get ready now for the increases which take effect from the first pay period on or after 1 January 2021. The WA award summaries and the Minimum pay rates for award free employees on the Wageline website include the rates of pay that apply from 1 July 2020 and the rates of pay that...

As the weather warms up, our thoughts are likely turning to summer holidays and the festive season, however it’s important that consumers research their purchases to make sure they are safe and fit for purpose. Faulty products continue to cause serious injury and harm to thousands of Australians every year – in 2017-18, more than 4.5 million faulty or unsafe items were recalled by suppliers. To...

The main contractor for the Forrestfield Airport Link Project has been fined $150,000 (and ordered to pay $3,000 in costs) after a worker sustained major electrical burns when a crane made contact with or came too close to high voltage overhead power lines. Salini Australia Pty Ltd pleaded guilty in the Perth Magistrates Court last month to failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment...

WA’s building regulator is seeking public comment on proposals to review registration requirements for building practitioners and contractors. The consultation is part of Building and Energy’s broad review of the compliance and enforcement framework for the WA building industry. The main aim of the initiatives is to improve confidence in the building sector and respond to a major national report...

Have you ever engaged a dealer to sell a car or caravan on your behalf? This is known as ‘consignment selling’ and the laws that regulate this method of sale are currently under review, with a ban being considered as one of the options. For those who don’t want to negotiate the sale of their vehicle privately, selling on consignment is a viable option but it comes with risk. Given the dealer can...

With Black Friday sales coming up and many people doing their Christmas shopping online this year, Consumer Protection is warning consumers that scammers are out to take your money with fake retailer websites, social media pages and classified ads. So far this year scammers have stolen a staggering $1.1 million from 418 WA victims in ‘buying and selling scams’ which, according to new figures from...

The average price of regular unleaded petrol (ULP) is set to increase by over 29 cents per litre (cpl) to 132.8 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers, if they can, to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Wednesday 25 November 2020, most branded retailers are hiking their ULP price: Caltex/Ampol, Caltex Woolworths, 7-Eleven, BP and Coles Express hiking by...