With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard Winter is coming and we’ve got an important energy safety message to share about gas heaters. You could be putting your health and your family’s health at risk if you don’t follow this advice. Gas heaters are an effective way to keep warm but if they are faulty, poorly maintained or misused they can leak carbon monoxide (CO) gas, which can...
A Malaysian international student studying in Perth has lost $13,782 to a phone scam after she was threatened with having her visa cancelled and being deported. The scammers, pretending to be from the Immigration Department, cold-called her and demanded she pay the money immediately to avoid arrest, instructing her to pay by purchasing Google Play cards at Aldi supermarkets. After purchasing the...
The minimum fees prescribed in Schedule 2 of the Building Regulations 2012 will increase by 7 per cent on 1 July 2019 for the 2019–20 year. A list of the current minimum fees and the new minimum fees is in the table below. This increase in fees is the result of a review undertaken by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety at the request of the Parliament’s Joint Standing...
Consumer Protection is warning the WA community not to deal with the seller of food vans and trailers who has accepted more than $70,000 from small business operators but has failed to supply them or provide refunds. Cody Raymond Williams , sole Director of CLC Group Pty Ltd trading as CLC Fabrications (unregistered) , has taken deposits and, in some cases, the full amount from six people who...
The average price of unleaded petrol is set to increase by around 14 cents per litre (cpl) to 156.8 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 7 May 2019, most Coles Express sites are increasing their ULP price to 165.9 cpl (increasing by 23 cpl). Most BP and Caltex sites are increasing their ULP price to 163.9 cpl,...
A photographic business that specialises in taking photos of new-born babies is the subject of a Consumer Protection public warning following complaints about unacceptable delays in supplying the images to parents. Nine complaints have been lodged against Melissa Sheed Photography of Aubin Grove with some of the parents waiting for more than a year to receive the photos of their babies. The...
Consumer Protection and the WA Police Force are alarmed at the high number of incidents of home owners utilising the services of unlicensed security installers, and may be unknowingly inviting criminals into their home. These possibly dodgy businesses and individuals advertise their services on websites such as Gumtree as well as on social media, offering to install alarm systems, CCTV cameras,...
A decorative alcohol-fuelled (ethanol) burner exploded in a suburban backyard in Perth’s southern suburbs at the weekend, prompting a reminder to consumers that certain table-top models have been banned. The explosion on Saturday evening 27 April 2019 is believed to have been sparked by a burner being re-fuelled while still lit and injured four people, including a child, who were taken to...
With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard Consumer Protection WA and our counterpart agencies across Australia are reminding people with disability of their consumer rights as the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) continues to roll out. The NDIS brings extensive change for people with disability and for businesses or providers in the scheme. Since the NDIS began its...
The average price of unleaded petrol is set to increase by about 19 cents per litre (cpl) to 158.4 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 30 April 2019, most Coles Express sites are increasing their ULP price to 164.9 cpl (hiking by 24 cpl). Most BP and Caltex Woolworths sites are increasing their ULP price to 163...
The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) is conducting a stakeholder satisfaction survey to invite feedback on our services and our role as a regulator. The results will help DMIRS focus on business areas and services that need performance improvements. If you subscribe to a DMIRS email newsletter or subscriber news service, you may be contacted by email and invited to take...
Two Perth seniors have lost money to scammers, claiming to be from the NBN or a telco, who have adopted tactics aimed at accessing their computers and bank accounts while preventing them from making calls to their family or their bank. An 81 year old man received a call from someone claiming to be from the NBN and, as he had been connected to the NBN just the day before, he thought it was a...
West Australians could be putting their health at risk this winter when they switch on gas heaters for the first time. Faulty, poorly maintained or misused gas heaters can leak potentially lethal carbon monoxide gas – an issue highlighted by Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week (April 29 to May 5). Western Australia’s Director of Energy Safety, Ken Bowron, is reminding householders to have their gas...
With Commissioner for Consumer Protection, David Hillyard Families, friends and the rural communities in which they live are mourning the deaths of two boys aged under ten who lost their lives recently in separate quad bike accidents in WA and Tasmania. The tragic accidents occurred on farms and involved rollovers, a common set of circumstances when we look at the statistics. On average, 16...
With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard A flurry of bills has depleted your bank account, but you suddenly need a new fridge and one of your favourite brands is on super-special. It’s a tempting scenario: the chance to receive a product or service immediately without paying for it straight away. As the term suggests, buy-now-pay-later...
The average cost of unleaded petrol is set to increase by around 14 cents per litre (cpl) to 154.8 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 23 April 2019, most Coles Express sites are increasing their ULP price to 163.9 cpl (increasing by 25 cpl). Most BP, Caltex Woolworths and 7-Eleven sites are increasing their ULP...
With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard WA has the worst rates of family and domestic violence in Australia and the number of incidents is unfortunately increasing. Family violence affects people from all walks of life making it everyone’s business and all of us have a part to play in preventing it. Changes to WA’s tenancy laws have now come...
Easter has arrived and before the long weekend begins employers should check their employment obligations for the Easter period. The Western Australian public holidays for the 2019 Easter period are: Good Friday – Friday 19 April Easter Monday – Monday 22 April Visit the Easter 2019 public holiday arrangements page for: An overview of the Easter public holiday payment arrangements for state...
Since its launch in 2016, eNotice has been widely accepted and acknowledged by industry for its efficiencies and overall effectiveness. With over 90% of notices now being completed in eNotice, Building and Energy has made the decision to make lodgement of Preliminary Notices and Notices of Completion using eNotice mandatory. As of 1 July 2019 it will be mandatory to lodge all electrical...
New tenancy laws to assist Western Australian renters affected by family and domestic violence are now in force. The new laws allow a tenant to end their tenancy with as little as seven days' notice if they or their dependants are impacted by family and domestic violence, even if the perpetrator is not named on the lease. There is no need to go to court and a new Consumer Protection form can be...
The average price of unleaded petrol is set to increase by over 20 cents per litre (cpl) to 155.9 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 16 April 2019, most Coles Express sites are increasing their ULP price to 161.9 cpl (hiking by 23 cpl). Most Caltex Woolworths, BP, Caltex and 7-Eleven sites are increasing their...
An illegal pyramid scheme has been uncovered that targets WA women and masquerades as a support network. Two women, one from the South-West of WA, have contacted Consumer Protection reporting the activities of the pyramid scheme which is being promoted as a Gifting Mandala , prompting a warning for people not to get involved. The gifting circle involves a woman paying a ‘gift’ of around $270 to...
Laws restrict when children under 15 can work in takeaway food businesses, and a proactive campaign to improve compliance with these laws has just commenced. As part of the education stage of this campaign, Wageline is providing takeaway food businesses across Western Australia with information about their obligations for employing children. If you own or manage a takeaway food business, you need...
The Drainage Plumbing Diagram (DPD) system will be upgraded tomorrow, Wednesday 10 April 2019 at 5.00pm . The search function will be unavailable for approximately one hour at that time. If you have any enquiries regarding the upgradel, please email be.publications@dmirs.wa.gov.au .