With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard We're in a new financial year and Consumer Protection has considered previous complaint trends and emerging issues to help decide priorities for the 12 months ahead. It's not always possible to predict problems that will arise in the marketplace, however in a number of areas there are some obvious pointers we can act on. We call this...

With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard Winter's here and as we try to keep warm in the cooler weather there are some annual safety messages to think about when buying or using products such as hot water bottles, heaters, electric blankets, wheat bags and pyjamas. Let’s start with hot water bottles. You might have one in the back of the cupboard but if it’s more than two...

A safety investigation has been launched into the novelty items ‘fidget spinners’ following reports of injuries and concerns about some models which contain button batteries. Among the injury reports are an 11 year old boy in Victoria who suffered a serious eye injury from a model with sharp edges and a ten year old girl in the United States who swallowed one of the small parts. Product safety...

Consumer Protection is warning parents and carers of children to be aware of the dangers of treadmills in the home after a three year old girl from South Hedland suffered serious friction burns. Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard said the accident highlights the risks of children having access to exercise machines. “Many children are seriously injured by friction burns...