West Perth building practitioner Rodney Obeid (BP14339) has been fined $5,000 by the Building Services Board for failing to properly manage and supervise work at an $11 million East Perth apartment development. Mr Obeid was the nominated supervisor for Nazero Constructions WA, which provided a notice of completion to the City of Perth for the six-storey property in June 2015. After carrying out a...

A Joondanna tradesman who falsely claimed to be a registered painter has been fined $5,000 at Perth Magistrates Court for several offences under WA’s building laws. Alex Mazloomi , trading as Arios Painting and Decorating , did not appear in court on 5 October when he was found guilty of six charges brought by the Building Commissioner. The court heard that Mr Mazloomi was not a registered...

An illegal motor vehicle dealer has been fined $25,000 and ordered to pay costs of $916 after being convicted in the Perth Magistrates Court of buying and selling vehicles without a licence. Mark Wayne Williams , who resides in Kensington and formerly operated in Kenwick under the trading name of Car 1 Vehicle Wholesale , was convicted in his absence on 12 October 2018 after purchasing 51...

A Shenton Park property manager has been reprimanded and fined $13,000 by the State Administrative Tribunal for making unauthorised withdrawals from a real estate agency’s trust account. Rhonda Denise Reid , who was a Director of the Nedlands agency, also failed to act fairly and honestly by making 13 unauthorised withdrawals totalling $36,290 between May 2014 and June 2016 without the knowledge...

The average price of unleaded petrol is set to increase by around 14 cents per litre (cpl) to 165.5 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 16 October 2018, most Caltex sites are increasing their ULP price to 169.9 cpl (a hike of 18 cpl). Most Caltex Woolworths, Coles Express and Puma sites are increasing their ULP...

Losses suffered by WA scam victims are mounting after they were conned into paying for puppies that don’t exist. Fake advertisements are appearing on websites, online trading sites and social media platforms that feature cute photos and cheap prices, making them irresistible to puppy buyers. So far this year 28 consumers have reported losing a total of $51,000. In 2017, 42 people reported losing...

Baby bath aids such as plastic recliners, cradles or seats, have become increasingly popular with parents as they provide support for babies and young children in the bath. But it is important to remember that they are not safety devices or a substitute for adult supervision and support. Children have drowned while using a bath aid as they can easily slip off and become submerged under water, tip...

On 1 May 2018, the Building and Energy Division of the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (Building and Energy) released a Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement (CRIS) to seek public comment on the final round of reforms arising from the 2013/14 review of plumbing regulation in Western Australia. The CRIS contained 21 proposals, including: The introduction of a new funding...

The average price of unleaded petrol is set to increase by around 14 cents per litre (cpl) to 163.9 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 9 October 2018, all Coles Express and most Caltex sites are increasing their ULP price to 167.9 cpl (an increase of between 18 and 19 cpl). Most Puma, BP and Caltex Woolworths...

The McGowan Government has introduced building regulations to restrict the use of combustible material on building facades of high-risk buildings. The new building regulations prevent the use of performance solutions by restricting the use of combustible cladding to those that can demonstrate compliance under the Building Code of Australia’s (BCA) new verification method. This method also...

Upcoming changes to pre-estimated liquidated damages From 1 January 2022, the maximum amount of pre-estimated liquidated damages that a dealer may charge will reduce from 15 per cent to five per cent. Consumer Protection is concerned about reports of significant charges being imposed by dealers on WA consumers who cancel motor vehicle purchase contracts. Under the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act, the...

A Perth motor vehicle dealership has lost $65,000 after being stung by a ‘man in the middle’ scam involving the payment of an invoice to a bank account that had been changed. The dealership recently made a purchase from a supplier and received an invoice with correct bank details. A week later an email request, sent by scammers, was received asking to direct the funds to a new bank account. The...