Issue Date:  -  Tuesday, 19 May 1998

Unlicensed travel agent pleads guilty

A Perth travel agency was today fined a total of $4500 in the Perth Court of Petty Sessions for operating without a licence, and borrowing another travel agent's licence.

Aqua View Holdings Pty Ltd, trading as Harvey World Travel Wembley Downs, was also ordered to pay costs totalling $150.

A licensed travel agent John Leslie Hodgson, of Wembley Downs, also pleaded guilty to lending his licence to Aqua View Holdings Pty Ltd and was fined $500 and ordered to pay costs of $75.

The Ministry of Fair Trading prosecution relates only to Harvey World Travel Wembley Downs and not to any other Harvey World Travel franchise.

Acting Commissioner for Fair Trading, Mark Bodycoat, said the actions of those people had denied customers access to a travel compensation fund, which existed to protect customers of licensed travel agents from financial loss, in circumstances such as insolvency.

Mr Bodycoat said Fair Trading began an investigation in April last year after becoming aware of serious breaches of the Travel Agents Act.

Hodgson sold his Wembley Downs travel agency to Aqua View Holdings in October 1996 and, until April 1997, the company traded as Harvey World Travel Wembley Downs using Mr Hodgson's licence.

The actions by Aqua View Holdings and Hodgson enabled the company to carry on business as a travel agent under the well-known name of Harvey World Travel, without easily being detected.

"Besides protecting customers via the compensation fund, the system of licensing ensures only fit and proper people may work as agents in the travel industry," Mr Bodycoat said.

"It is a concern that the people involved in this matter have been in the industry for a considerable period of time and were fully aware of the need to be licensed," he said.

Aqua View Holdings, trading as Harvey World Travel Wembley Down, has since obtained a travel agent's licence, while Hodgson has surrendered his.

Media contact:
Neil Stanbury
Tel: (08) 9282 0613