Reports of landlords and agents flouting laws with unannounced visits Warning for owners and agents to follow the legal procedures for visits Tenants urged to lodge complaints against offending landlords and agents Consumer Protection is concerned about reports of private landlords and property managers carrying out surprise visits on their tenants, calling on them to comply with their legal...

A subcontractor on the Forrestfield Airport Link Project has been fined $200,000 (and ordered to pay $2847.50 in costs) over serious injuries suffered by a worker in July 2018. Salini Australia Pty Ltd pleaded guilty in October to failing to provide and maintain a safe working environment and, by that failure, causing serious harm to an employee (maximum fine $400,000), and was fined in the Perth...

With the busy shopping season upon us, there’s no doubt that gift cards or vouchers can be an easy present idea for those hard-to-please friends and family members. While we believe that gifting cash is ultimately a safer option, if you are planning to buy a gift card this festive season, don’t forget that the national rules have changed to give the recipient at least three years to use it. The...

Gift cards must be valid for at least three years from date of purchase Recommendation that cards are redeemed quickly to minimise risks Risks include business closures and lost or stolen cards Consumers either buying or receiving gift cards are reminded that national laws provide for a minimum three year expiry period, but there may still be risks involved. The risks, warns Consumer Protection,...

WA online shoppers fall victim to fake websites and social media pages 200 WA victims lose almost $700,000 to online shopping scams in 2021 Popular consumer items offered at very low prices as bait to trap consumers Fake websites and social media pages are tricking online shoppers into buying products that they will never receive and Consumer Protection is warning Western Australians not to...

A site supervisor at a land development company has been fined $10,000 (and ordered to pay $1172.50 in costs) over an incident in 2018 in which a worker was seriously injured when limestone blocks from an adjacent retaining wall and a steel plate fell on him. Glenn Edwin Rush pleaded guilty to failing as an employee to take reasonable care to avoid adversely affecting the health of another person...

Removalist fined $3,000 for falsely claiming membership of industry association Association’s logo and statement appeared on two identical business websites False affiliation claims detrimental to consumers and the industry representative A $3,000 fine has been handed to a Brabham removalist by the Perth Magistrates Court for making a false claim that his business was affiliated with a...

Water Corporation would like to remind licensed plumbers that any work completed on their assets needs to be authorised by the Water Corporation. In the last few months, Water Corporation has encountered a number of situations where licensed plumbers have completed unauthorised work which can lead to a range of supply, quality and safety issues. Any work on Water Corporation assets must be...

With Christmas not far away, now is the time for employers and employees in the state industrial relations system to check working arrangements for public holidays over the Christmas New Year period. This season’s public holidays are: Christmas Day, Saturday 25 December 2021 and Monday 27 December 2021. Boxing Day, Sunday 26 December 2021 and Tuesday 28 December 2021. New Year’s Day, Saturday 1...

Motorists in Perth and Mandurah are advised to fill up now if they need to, with petrol prices set to rise tomorrow. After today it is likely motorists will have to wait for two weeks before petrol prices are again at the bottom of the price cycle. FuelWatch reports that, from 6am tomorrow (Wednesday 3 November 2021), the average price of regular unleaded petrol (ULP) will increase by more than...

If you’re gearing up to buy a used car, you might be thinking about whether to go through a private seller rather than a licensed dealership. While buying a vehicle privately can be cheaper, it also offers less security, so it’s important to know what steps to take to avoid ending up with a lemon or being scammed out of your money altogether. Consumer Protection has published a new video covering...

Tenancy toolkit uses imagery to assist visual storytelling of complex legal issues The aim is to improve the understanding of tenancy laws and processes Aboriginal and culturally linguistically diverse communities to be targeted A major effort to improve the understanding of renting rights in vulnerable communities has been launched with the release of a specially-designed educational toolkit...