Announcements

Showing 1626 - 1650 of 2248 results

Perth people fall for fake Italian leather jacket scam

Four Perth consumers have fallen victim to an Italian man selling jackets from a white SUV, claiming they are made from genuine Italian leather. Reports have been received recently from consumers who were approached uninvited by the man in Cottesloe, Claremont, Mt Lawley and Swanbourne. The Cottesloe consumer was told by the man that he was lost and needed directions to the airport. As a thank...
Consumer Protection
Media release
21 Feb 2019

Parliament passes new tenancy laws to support FDV victims

The McGowan Government's new tenancy laws to better protect tenants experiencing family and domestic violence have passed through State Parliament. The passage of the Residential Tenancies Legislation Amendment (Family Violence) Bill will provide more options and greater support for those experiencing family and domestic violence. The amendments are aimed at giving the victim better choices,...
Consumer Protection
Media release
20 Feb 2019

Tenancy law changes inspire Aboriginal artist

A prominent Aboriginal artist has produced a painting to signify positive changes to WA tenancy laws, which will allow renters who’re experiencing family violence to end a lease quickly to leave for safety or have an alleged perpetrator removed from a tenancy agreement. Under the Residential Tenancies Legislation Amendment (Family Violence) Bill 2018, which was passed in Parliament last night (19...
Consumer Protection
Media release
20 Feb 2019

Submissions sought - Inquiry into Wage Theft in WA

The Hon Bill Johnston MLA, Minister for Industrial Relations, has announced an Inquiry into the systematic and deliberate underpayment of wages or entitlements of workers in Western Australia. The Inquiry will be undertaken by Mr Tony Beech, former Chief Commissioner of the WA Industrial Relations Commission. The Inquiry terms of reference include: Whether there is evidence of this occurring in...
Labour Relations
Department News
18 Feb 2019

Avoid Perth petrol price rise

The average price of unleaded petrol is set to increase by 22 cents per litre (cpl) to 139.6 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 19 February 2019, most Coles Express sites are increasing their ULP price to 147.9 cpl (increasing by 33 cpl). Most 7-Eleven sites are increasing their ULP price to 146.9 cpl, most...
Consumer Protection
Media release
18 Feb 2019

Prosecution a warning to real estate industry

WA’s Commissioner for Consumer Protection says the prosecution of man, who forged a signature on an application to renew a real estate agent sales representative’s registration, should act as a warning about the importance of honesty in the industry. At Perth Magistrates Court on 8 February 2019, the Accused – who is not named because a spent conviction was granted – was fined $4,000 and ordered...
Consumer Protection
Media release
14 Feb 2019

Tradie to pay over $14,000 for taking money but failing to deliver - Troy Christopher Jacobs; Alloy Roofing Pty Ltd

A Perth gutter repair and roofing business and its sole director have been ordered to pay a total of $14,400 in fines, compensation and costs at Perth Magistrates Court for taking money for services from a consumer but failing to deliver. Alloy Roofing Pty Ltd was fined $8,000 and ordered to pay costs of $3,500 for breaching the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) when it accepted payment but failed to...
Building and Energy / Consumer Protection
Media release
14 Feb 2019

Beware online pet sale scams

Whether it’s a dog, cat, bird or fish, buying a pet is generally an exciting purchase, but if you’re buying a pet online, beware of pet sale scams. Scammers have been using animals to get their paws on pet-buyers’ money for years. We’ve received reports of monetary loss from many heartbroken victims of online pet sale scams who paid for animals that never arrived. Scam advertisements for pets are...
Consumer Protection
Media release
14 Feb 2019

Company and Director fined over serious injuries to worker

A company that supplies and installs underground services and its Director have been fined a total of $69,500 (and ordered to pay a total of $4391.00 in costs) over an incident in which a worker sustained serious permanent injuries. Sunchaser Enterprises Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace and, by that failure, causing serious harm to an employee, and was...
WorkSafe
Media release
13 Feb 2019

Infringements issued to four fuel sites over FuelWatch breaches

Consumer Protection has issued on-the-spot fines to four fuel retailers in Perth and Albany after they breached laws relating to fuel pricing. Each were issued infringement notices of $1,000 with two service stations overcharging and two others displaying the wrong price prior to the 6am changeover. An Albany fuel retailer had overcharged 2.4 cents per litre (cpl) for ULP for more than seven...
Consumer Protection
Media release
12 Feb 2019

Avoid Perth petrol price rise

The average price of unleaded petrol is set to increase by over 21 cents per litre (cpl) to 138.3 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 12 February 2019, most Coles Express sites are increasing their ULP price to 145.9 cpl (increasing by 31 cpl). Most Caltex Woolworths sites are increasing their ULP price to 144.9...
Consumer Protection
Media release
11 Feb 2019

Late bonds lodgement costs a Busselton real estate agency $3,500 (LJ Hooker Geographe Bay)

Lodging bonds late has resulted in a Busselton real estate agency being convicted and receiving a total of $3,500 in a fine and Court costs. Geographe Real Estate Pty Ltd , trading as LJ Hooker Geographe Bay , was convicted, fined $2,000 and ordered to pay costs of $1,500 by the Busselton Magistrates Court on 6 February 2019 after pleading guilty to two charges of failing to lodge bonds with the...
Consumer Protection
Media release
08 Feb 2019

Buying a used car? Do your checks before you write one

Buying a second-hand car can be a smart way to save money, but it’s important to be aware of the hidden risks that can come with used vehicles. Most people assume a vehicle's odometer is a reliable measure of how far it has travelled, but this may not always be the case. Misrepresenting the number of kilometres a vehicle has travelled to attract a higher price is a calculated deception that takes...
Consumer Protection
Media release
07 Feb 2019

Bad start to 2019 with $1.8 million in scam losses for WA in January

The New Year is off to a bad start for scam losses with 86 victims in WA losing $1.81 million in the first month of 2019. This follows the release last week of the 2018 annual scam report which showed 569 victims losing a total of $10.7 million over the year, a substantial increase from the previous year. Individual losses for January 2019 reported to WA ScamNet included a romance scam victim who...
Consumer Protection
Media release
07 Feb 2019

Introducing ThinkSafe

Welcome to the first issue of ThinkSafe magazine , the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety’s new flagship online publication for workplace safety and health in Western Australia. The Department is committed to ensuring its resources are allocated to optimise effectiveness and efficiency. This includes looking for new and innovative ways to deliver the services and products we...
WorkSafe
Department News
07 Feb 2019

Real estate agency fined over property management and trust account breaches (Real Estate Property Shop Network Pty Ltd / James Samuel Henneberry)

A Port Hedland real estate agency and its director have been fined a total of $4,000 by the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) for misconduct relating to its property management services. The agency Real Estate Property Shop Network Pty Ltd was reprimanded and fined $3,000 for misconduct in relation to property management services, including making incorrect withdrawals from its trust account...
Consumer Protection
Media release
07 Feb 2019

Preview of NCC 2019 now available!

All three volumes of the National Construction Code (NCC) 2019 previews have been released by The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) and are available to download from NCC online. Further information on the release can be found on the ABCB website. NCC 2019 will be adopted from 1 May 2019 . You are reminded that the Building Regulations 2012 in Western Australia has a 12 months transitional...
Building and Energy
Department News
06 Feb 2019

Departments combine to target landlords who don’t lodge tenancy bonds

Consumer Protection and the Department of Communities are joining forces to target landlords who fail to lodge tenancy bonds that were provided through a rental assistance program. Under the Bond Assistance Loan Scheme offered by the Department of Communities, eligible Western Australians can apply for an no interest and fee free loan to cover ingoing property costs (including all or part of the...
Consumer Protection
Media release
06 Feb 2019

$20,000 penalty for dangerous electrical installation in Mandurah – Dale Eric Subke of Subke Pty Ltd, trading as Dalectrix

A Mandurah electrician has pleaded guilty to breaching electricity regulations by failing to install a crucial safety component at a building site, which could have resulted in a fatal electric shock. Dale Eric Subke of Coodanup is a licensed electrician (EW159776) and a director of Subke Pty Ltd , trading as Dalectrix (EC9256). On February 1, Mandurah Magistrates Court fined Mr Subke $4,500 and...
Building and Energy
Media release
05 Feb 2019

Building knowledge at free regional seminars

Building industry participants in regional WA are invited to free information seminars on important changes coming up in the Building Code of Australia (BCA) 2019 edition. Spanning nine locations from Esperance to Broome during March, the events are presented by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety’s Building and Energy team (formerly the Building Commission). The seminars aim...
Building and Energy
Media release
05 Feb 2019

Avoid Perth petrol price rise

The average price of unleaded petrol is set to increase by over 21 cents per litre (cpl) to 136.8 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 5 February 2019, most Coles Express, all 7-Eleven, most Caltex and Caltex Woolworths sites are increasing their ULP price to 142.9 cpl (increasing by between 28 and 32 cpl). Most...
Consumer Protection
Media release
04 Feb 2019

Avoid house sitter horror

Planning a trip and looking for someone to take care of the pets and water the plants? If you’re thinking about engaging a house or pet sitting agency, it’s important to understand the how-tos of hiring a sitter. The risks of hiring a dodgy house sitter were all too real for a Perth couple who returned from a five-week holiday to find the woman hired to stay with their dog had robbed them of...
Consumer Protection
Media release
31 Jan 2019

WA victims lose almost $11 million to scams in 2018

Western Australians reported losing a total of $10.7 million to scams in 2018, a 32 per cent increase from the previous year, according to figures released by WA ScamNet. There was also an increase in the number of victims with 569 people reporting losses to WA ScamNet in 2018, a 42 percent increase from 2017. There was a huge hike in losses to investment scams, which topped the list of...
Consumer Protection
Media release
29 Jan 2019

Property developer ordered to pay $51,207 in a fine and consumer compensation (David Emery)

A property developer has been fined $25,000 by the Perth Magistrates Court and ordered to pay compensation totalling $26,207 to three of his clients after pleading guilty on 25 January 2019 to accepting payment but failing to supply the goods and services. David John Leitch Emery , formerly of Busselton but now residing in Perth, was trading as DK & IE Projects and D1 One when the breaches of...
Consumer Protection
Media release
29 Jan 2019

Smoke control, fire dampers and ventilation

Building and Energy encourages building surveyors to attend a free seminar providing an update on the AS1668. Building surveyors will receive information on what to look for when assessing plans and specifications for compliance with the BCA and referenced AS 1668 Parts 1 and 2 (Smoke Control, Fire Dampers and Mechanical Ventilation in general). This session will also outline aspects of...
Building and Energy
Department News
29 Jan 2019

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