think smart
update
February 2010
Welcome to the first Think Smart newsletter for 2010!
In this issue I am pleased to highlight the Real cases – Real
stories section to alert you to the unscrupulous traders brought
to justice by NSW Fair Trading in 2009, and to also help you
understand Fair Trading’s role and services. This issue covers tips
on strata schemes to avoid potential problems with neighbours.
There are also other topics in this newsletter that would be
relevant to you, your clients and communities.
This year, we would like to include real stories on consumer
related issues experienced by community members from
diverse backgrounds as case studies. For example: problems
encountered in buying a car either from a friend or a motor
dealer and how you resolved the problem or renting issues
with your landlord or real estate agent. Other experiences in
buying goods and services such as warranty or refund problems
including going to the Tribunal are good stories to share with
our readers. Contributions are open to all community partners,
community workers and community members.
We strive to deliver informative and appropriate information
and would welcome any feedback and comments to help us
achieve this. I am also interested to hear how you would like to
receive this newsletter, either through email, mail or website.
This feedback will help us to deliver accessible consumer rights
information to you all. Below are the details on where to send
your feedback.
The Think Smart newsletter is developed to help provide
up-to-date information to Think Smart partners and other
organisations on Fair Trading issues relevant to consumers.
Feedback
We want you to tell us how we can improve this newsletter.
Send your comments in writing to:
Neneth Costa, Multicultural Officer
It is produced quarterly and distributed to community
partners, workers and other key organisations.
The newsletter is available in print, email and can also be
downloaded on the Fair Trading website on
www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/About_us/Access_and_equity/
Think_smart_newsletter.html
If you wish to receive a copy of this newsletter please feel
free to contact or email me.
Your continued support is important to us. I hope you enjoy
reading this issue
Neneth Costa
Multicultural Officer
My comments...
Neneth Costa
Multicultural Officer
NSW Fair Trading
PO Box 972
Parramatta NSW 2124
or e-mail: [email protected]
www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
13 32 20
Think Smart update - February 2010
Page 2
REAL CASES – REAL STORIES
Rogue traders named and shamed
Acting Minister for Fair Trading, Graham West unveiled a ‘rogues
gallery’ of ten unscrupulous traders brought to justice by NSW
Fair Trading in 2009.
Mr West said the Government was proud of the results achieved
over the last year, and issued a warning that inspections,
investigations and prosecutions would continue unabated in
2010.
“Let this ‘rogues gallery’ serve as a warning to anyone who
thinks they can treat NSW consumers with contempt,”
Mr West said.
Among the individuals and companies successfully prosecuted
by NSW Fair Trading in 2009 were:
•
Armond Shoostovian – finance broker – convicted under
the Consumer Credit Administration Act on 28 July 2009.
He was fined $183,600 and sentenced to a 2-year good
behaviour bond.
•
Mark Anthony Buhagiar – unlicensed and unqualified gas,
refrigeration and air-conditioning fitter – convicted under
the Home Building Act on 19 August 2009, fined $18,500.
In addition, on 13 November 2009 he was convicted under
s.307A for making a false or misleading application and
fined $2,000 and placed on a good behaviour bond for 12
months.
•
Michael Greco – unlicensed residential building work –
convicted under the Home Building Act on 17 September
2009, fined $20,350.
•
Abdel Rahman Hachem Kassem – convicted under the
Motor Dealers Act on 10 September 2009, fined $37,583.
•
George Hadchiti (also known as George Hadchity) –
unlicensed and uninsured contractor – convicted under the
Home Building Act on 21 May 2009, fined $28,865.
•
Mahmoud Mohamad Ismail – unlicensed motor dealer,
odometer interference – convicted under the Motor Dealers
Act on 28 May 2009, fined $34,526.
•
George Harellis – unlicensed, defective and potentially life
threatening electrical work – convicted under the Home
Building Act and the Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act on 22
May 2009, fined $18,373.
•
Zuhret Korajac – disqualified builder – convicted under the
Home Building Act on 6 February 2009 and fined $74,573.
•
Mohamad El Homsi – odometer interference – convicted
under the Motor Dealers Act on 8 July 2009 and fined
$10,418.
•
George Sekuloski – convicted 13 March 2009 for numerous
offences under the Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act, with an
order for fines and costs totalling $14,984.
www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
Traders caught breaching the Fair Trading Act can receive
penalties of up to $22,000 for an individual or $110,000 for a
partnership or corporation.
Under the Motor Dealers Act 1974, people found dealing without
a licence can face penalty notices of $5,500 or prosecution, with
fines on conviction of up to $110,000.
Traders caught operating without a home building licence or
contracting with an unlicensed person can incur fines of up to
$22,000 for an individual or up to $110,000 for a company.
In September this year, the NSW Government strengthened
fines under the Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act. Traders
caught breaking the law risk penalties of up to $825,000 for
a corporation or $82,500 and/or 2 years imprisonment for an
individual.
“These people are posing as trusted local business people, and
ripping off trusting, often vulnerable people,” Mr West said.
The Armond Shoostovian case achieved the largest monetary
fine by Fair Trading in any prosecution in the last 5 years.
“Mr Shoostovian is a shamed finance broker who boasted of
powerful connections,” Mr West said.
The Supreme Court found Mr Shoostovian, the sole director
of Save Finance (formerly known as the Loan Enquiry Centre),
guilty of a total of 108 breaches of sections 4C(1) and 4C(4) of
the Consumer Credit Administration Act 1995.
A further 28 charges under section 4H(1) of the Act were
dismissed on condition of Mr Shoostovian entering into a 2-year
good behaviour bond. If breached, Mr Shoostovian faces further
substantial penalties.
In his judgement, Justice R. Howie stated:
The reason for “… taking this course because it appears to be
proper to place the defendant under the supervision of this
Court in relation to his conduct in this type of activity and it is
only chance, although a slim one, that he might be deterred
from similar conduct in the future … each (charge) is part of
a systematic refusal to comply with the legislation … I have
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Page 3
no doubt that the defendant never intended to comply with
the provisions of the Act and any suggestion that he was
endeavouring to do so was a charade. ”
In the 2008/2009 financial year, Fair Trading carried out 25,390
inspections across NSW and conducted targeted blitzes in
metropolitan and regional centres, examining the conduct of
gym proprietors, home builders, motor vehicle dealers and
repairers, and performing product safety checks.
In relation to these inspections 762 traders were issued with
penalty notices totalling more than $1 million in relation to
1,174 offences. This was an 18% increase on the previous year.”
Mr West said.
“Fair Trading achieved an outstanding 96 per cent success rate in
formal prosecutions, taking 85 defendants to court, resulting in
$584,430 in fines and penalties.”
Mr West said 2010 would see even more intense scrutiny on
dodgy dealers.
Think Smart update - February 2010
“Fair Trading receives approximately 7 million customer contacts
each year,” he said.
“Last year (2009), some 130 staff from Fair Trading’s compliance,
legal, home building and customer service divisions undertook
the Certificate IV Government Investigation course.
“Extending training to frontline customer service staff means
they will be even better equipped to spot emerging trends and
disrupt illegal activities.
“In addition, 30 Fair Trading investigators undertook a Forensic
Trust Accounting course, targeting the real estate industry.
“This will increase the pool of officers capable of undertaking
detailed trust account assessments to identify irregularities and
protect prospective property sellers and buyers.
“NSW families can rest assured that the Government will
continue to invest time and money into ridding the marketplace
of rip-off merchants this year,” he said.
$42,000 penalty a shock for unlicensed electrician
An unlicensed Eastwood electrician has been ordered to pay
more than $42,000 in fines and costs for carrying out electrical
work without qualifications and for using a licence number that
did not belong to him.
Fair Trading Deputy Commissioner, Steve Griffin, said Ferras
Aridah, trading as Active Spark Electrical Services, carried
out unlicensed electrical wiring work on 19 residential and
commercial units in a building in Rozelle, between September
2006 and May 2008.
“Mr Aridah made false representations claiming to be a licensed
contractor and citing a licence number used by another
tradesperson,” Mr Griffin said.
“Mr Aridah has never held a contractor licence or certificate for
any class of work regulated by NSW Fair Trading.”
Mr Griffin said Mr Aridah was convicted of the following offences
under the Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2004, the Electricity
(Consumer Safety) Regulation 2006, and the Home Building Act
1989:
“The licensing system exists so consumers can be confident they
are dealing with traders who have the qualifications and skills to
undertake the work,” Mr Griffin said.
“Consumers should always check if a tradesperson’s licence is
current and valid for the specific work required before entering
into any contract or agreement.
•
section 31(1) of the 2004 Act for carrying out work not in
accordance with Australian Standards
“Traders caught operating without a licence can incur fines of up
to $22,000 for an individual or up to $110,000 for a company.
•
clause 35(1) of 2006 Regulation for carrying out safety and
compliance tests whilst unqualified
•
section 4(1)(a) of 1989 Act for unlicensed contracting of
specialist electrical work
“To check the licence details of a tradesperson or for more
information, visit the Fair Trading website or call 13 32 20.”
•
section 12 of 1989 Act for unlicensed specialist work, being
electrical wiring work
•
section 17(1)(a) of 1989 Act for falsely representing that he
was the holder of a contractors licence.
www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
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Think Smart update - February 2010
Top 10 tips for avoiding strata strife
Minister for Fair Trading Virginia Judge urged residents of strata
schemes to follow 10 tips to avoid potential problems with their
neighbours.
Ms Judge said requests for mediation in strata disputes had
risen from 1,273 in 2008 to 1,405 in 2009 – an increase of almost
10 per cent.
“Complaints last year ranged from the ordinary to the
off-the-wall,” Ms Judge said.
“You can understand differences of opinion over processes – but
some behaviour is just peculiar.”
Some of the more unusual complaints received by Fair Trading
last year included:
•
•
•
a long-running and personal feud between neighbours
peaking with one positioning what the adjoining owner
described as an “evil-looking effigy” in his courtyard so that it
stared directly into his bedroom
a complaint made against an owner whose large dogs and
particularly noisy pet geese were disturbing other owners
resulting in threats that the geese would help save his
weekly dog food bill
Page 4
Ms Judge said the good news was that while there was an
increase in mediation requests last year, they represent a tiny
fraction of the State’s 65,000 strata schemes.
“People want to get along. Whether you live in a unit, a duplex
or a house, being happy in your home and having a sense of
community is so important,” she said.
“Exercising commonsense and your responsibilities as well as
your rights will help avoid frayed nerves.”
Ms Judge said the most common bugbears were associated
with alterations to common property, breaches of by-laws,
relationships with managing agents and meeting procedures.
“Fair Trading is always on hand to help and has a proven track
record in helping strata residents,” she said.
“More than half of annual requests for help are either resolved
during that first phone call or the caller chooses not to proceed
further.
“Of the matters that do proceed, Fair Trading successfully
mediates 70 percent, with the remainder adjudicated by the
Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal (CTTT).”
Ms Judge said NSW Fair Trading’s Top 10 tips for strata living are
listed below:
high rise residential tower residents dropping tables, chairs,
lit cigarettes and dirty nappies onto the pavement outside
the ground level café and shops.
1.
Get involved - Decisions are made at meetings 7.
so get involved. Make your vote count. Use
your proxy if you can’t attend.
2.
Know the rules - read Fair Trading’s Strata
living publication which outlines strata
management requirements.
3.
Looks are deceiving – get approvals before
altering common property. It doesn’t matter
that it’s your courtyard, if it’s common
property, it’s owned by everyone.
4.
What will the neighbours think? – be
mindful of others. Noise can be annoying – as
is taking up visitor parking with your vehicles.
5.
Protect your investment – maintain common
property. If it’s getting run down, put up a
motion at a meeting for specific works to be
done.
6.
Talk first – talk to your neighbours if there is a
problem. They may not realise their actions are
causing a nuisance.
www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
It’s your strata scheme – your strata
managing agent works for you. If you’re not
happy with their performance, have a meeting
and vote to instruct them on how you want
them to manage your scheme.
8.
If you don’t like it, change it – by-laws are
there to guide the behaviour of owners and
tenants. If the by-laws aren’t working, change
them. You do this by putting a motion with the
new by-law to a general meeting, getting over
75 per cent to vote for it, then registering the
by-law at the Land and Property Management
Authority.
9.
Don’t let it fester – pursue by-law breaches.
If talking has not resolved a by-law breach,
contact your executive committee or strata
managing agent to issue a Notice to Comply
with a By-law. This can lead to a fine of up
to $550. You may also want to apply for
mediation.
10. Be flexible – there may be times you need
to give a little more leeway to accommodate
different personalities.
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Page 5
Beware of digital TV scams
Fair Trading Minister, Virginia Judge, is warning consumers
to be wary of door-to-door traders claiming to represent the
government and selling digital television set top boxes.
Think Smart update - February 2010
“In the end, the consumer
had to close the account and
organise a reversal from the
bank.”
Ms Judge said the scammers tell residents they will get a
government rebate if they purchase one of their digital
television set top boxes.
Ms Judge said consumers
shouldn’t be pressured into
buying something without
shopping around.
“Let me make this very clear - there are no reimbursements for
digital television goods or services bought from any retailers,
including door-to-door sellers,” she said.
“Switching to digital
television should be an
inexpensive task,” she said.
“The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
has listed this scam on its SCAMwatch website and is warning
consumers to avoid these scammers at all costs.
“If you are unsure of what
television products to buy,
call the Digital Switchover
Taskforce on 1800 201 013.
“Fair Trading received one complaint regarding door-to-door
sellers who pressured their way into a house in Albury to install
a “free” set-top box.
“These individuals told the consumer the set top box was part of
a government offer.
“They installed the box and forced the consumer to sign a
document which was a contract for $60 to be debited from her
account.”
Ms Judge said the set-top box didn’t work and the company
associated with the sellers debited $6 from her account every
few days.
“The consumer tried unsuccessfully to cancel the contract but
did manage to get the company to retrieve the box,” she said.
Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce
survey 2010
The Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce was formed
in March 2005 and comprises 20 government regulatory
agencies and departments in Australia and New Zealand with
responsibility for consumer protection regarding frauds and
scams. The aim of the Taskforce is to work together to reduce the
incidence and impact of frauds and scams, and to create a yearly
co-ordinated information campaign for consumers timed to
coincide with global consumer fraud prevention activities.
The Taskforce would like to know about any scams that you
have received and how you have responded to them. Gathering
this information will help to improve the prevention, detection,
investigation, and prosecution of scam offenders.
“If you have purchased any goods over $100, a 5 day cooling-off
period applies which allows you to cancel the contract. The
supplier of goods cannot charge any fees during this period.”
Traders caught breaching the Fair Trading Act 1987 can face
penalties of up to $22,000 for an individual or $110,000 for a
corporation.
If you have been misled by a trader you can report the matter to
the ACCC on 1300 302 502, the Digital Switchover Taskforce on
1800 201 013 or NSW Fair Trading on 13 32 20.
Analogue free-to-air TV is being replaced with a digital service
between 2010 and 2013. For more information on the projected
rollout go to www.digitalready.gov.au
All responses to the online survey will remain anonymous. Your
individual responses will not be disclosed to any third parties
and will only be used for statistical analysis. The aggregated
survey results will be released later in the year.
To participate on this online survey go to the Australian Institute
of Criminology (AIC) website on www.aic.gov.au
If you would like to report a scam, discuss your participation
or speak to someone about your experiences, then please
call the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s
SCAMwatch hotline on 1300 795 995 (for TTY service call
1300 303 609) or visit www.scamwatch.gov.au
To assist in collecting this information, the Australian Institute of
Criminology, a taskforce member, is conducting a short online
survey.
Your participation is entirely voluntary. If you choose to
participate, it should only take you a few minutes to complete
the survey. Please only complete the survey once.
www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
13 32 20
Think Smart update - February 2010
Community partners
ACL AMEP Consortium
Tel: 1300 798 111
Assyrian Australian Association
Tel: 9728 2594 Fax: 9723 0897
Arab Council Australia
Tel: 9709 4333 Fax: 9709 2928
Auburn Migrant Resource Centre
Tel: 9649 6955 Fax: 9649 4688
Australian Chinese Community Association
of NSW Inc (ACCA)
Tel: 9281 1377 Fax: 9281 1603
Australian Lebanese Association of NSW Ltd
Tel: 9564 3506 Fax: 9569 7795
Australia-Korean Welfare Association
Tel: 9718 9589 Fax: 9718 4860
Baulkham Hills Holroyd Parramatta
Migrant Resource Centre
Tel: 9687 9901 Fax: 9687 9990
Page 6
Nepean Migrant Access Inc.
Tel: 9833 2416 Fax: 9673 4368
Northern Settlement Services
Tel: 4969 3399 Fax: 4961 4997
Freecall: 1800 813 205
NSW Adult Migrant English Service (AMES)
Tel: 9289 9222 Fax: 9211 0321
St George Migrant Resource Centre
Tel: 9597 5455 Fax: 9567 3326
Sydney Multicultural Community Services
Tel: 9663 3922 Fax: 9662 7627
The Association of Bhanin El-Minieh
Tel: 9649 9300 Fax: 9677 2849
Vietnamese Community in Australia,
NSW Chapter (VCA/NSW)
Tel: 9796 8035/ 9790 3934 Fax: 9796 3794
Media partners
2AC Australian Chinese Radio
Tel: 9267 7533 Fax: 9267 7532
Blacktown Migrant Resource Centre (BMRC)
Tel: 9621 6633 Fax: 9831 5625
Australian Tamil Broadcasting Service
Tel: 9688 3188 Fax: 9688 3488
Canterbury-Bankstown Migrant Resource Centre Inc.
Tel: 9789 3744 Fax: 9718 0236
Future (Lebanese and Arab World Newspaper)
Tel: 9791 5722 Fax: 9791 5733
Chinese Australian Services Society Co-operatives Ltd (CASS)
Tel: 9789 4587 Fax: 9718 6357
Radio Duta Nusantara (Indonesian)
Tel: 9715 5422 Fax: 9834 4643
Chinese Migrant Welfare Association
Tel: 9716 0612 Fax: 9716 0801
Radio 2000FM - Multicultural Community Radio Association
Tel: 9715 5422 Fax: 9715 5433
Fairfield Migrant Resource Centre
Tel: 9727 0477 Fax: 9728 6080
Sing Tao Newspapers Pty Ltd
Tel: 9261 4466 Fax: 9267 1474
Granville Multicultural Community Centre
Tel: 9637 7600 Fax: 9637 9446
The African Newspaper
0404 095 577 Fax: 9625 2768
Illawarra Committee of International Students (ICIS)
Wollongong University
Tel: 4221 3158 Fax: 4221 5667
The Sydney Korean Herald
Tel: 9789 3300 Fax: 9789 2600
Illawarra Multicultural Services
Tel: 4229 6855 Fax: 4226 3634
For local information sessions and events call...
Immigrant Womens Speakout Association NSW (IWSA)
Tel: 9635 8022 Fax: 9635 8176
Indonesian Welfare Association Inc (IWA)
Tel: 9744 1866 (Mon/Tues) Tel: 9558 0999 (Wed/Thur)
Fax: 9558 1333
Liverpool Migrant Resource Centre
Tel: 9601 3788 Fax: 9601 1398
Macarthur Diversity Services Inc.
Tel: 4627 1188 Fax: 4628 6068
MigrantLink Australia Ltd
Tel: 9987 2333 Fax: 9987 1619
Migrant Refugee Services of Anglicare
Tel: 9895 8065 Fax: 9635 1792
Mt Druitt Ethnic Communities Agency
Tel: 9625 9300 Fax: 9677 2849
www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
Community Liaison
Co-ordinators
Locations covered
Sydney Metropolitan
Shobhna Pandaram Tel: 9895 0635
Blacktown, Penrith,
Parramatta, Sydney
Sydney Metropolitan
Lyn Wotton Tel: 9895 0051
Hurstville, Liverpool, Sydney
South Region
Christine Ambs Tel: 6043 9303
Wollongong, Albury, Goulburn,
Queanbeyan, Wagga Wagga
Hunter/Central & Mid-North Coast Newcastle, Gosford,
Jillian Meyers-Brittain Tel: 4925 7000 Port Macquarie
North Region
Robert Hoiles Tel: 6653 0700
Coffs Harbour, Grafton,
Lismore, Tweed Heads,
Armidale, Tamworth
West Region
Dubbo, Bathurst, Orange,
Carleen Cunningham Tel: 6360 6303 Broken Hill
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Think Smart update - February 2010
Page 7
Fair Trading publications and resources in languages available FREE from our website.
Name of publication / resource
Languages
An introduction to your consumer rights
and Fair Trading - CD ROM*
Arabic, Chinese and Vietnamese
Our Story Audio CD*
Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin and Vietnamese
Our Story DVD* and brochure*
Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin and Vietnamese
Renting - what you need to know audio CD*
Arabic, Dinka, Juba, Karen, Kirundi, Somali, Swahili, Tetum and Tongan
Your renting rights audio CD*
Arabic, Cantonese, Indonesian, Korean and Vietnamese
Acceptable business conduct - Trading in NSW
Arabic, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese
Auto dismantler guidelines
Arabic ,Turkish and Vietnamese
Avoiding scams
Arabic, Chinese, Indonesian, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese
Business names
Arabic, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese
Buying a mobile phone
Arabic, Chinese, Italian and Vietnamese
Buying a used car
Arabic, Chinese and Vietnamese
Credit and loans
Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Italian, Macedonian, Spanish and Vietnamese
Customer service standards - our guarantee of service Arabic, Chinese, Italian, Greek and Vietnamese
Door-to-door sales and telemarketing
Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Italian, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese
Fair trading for business
Arabic, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese
Fair Trading - what we can do for you*
Arabic, Assyrian (Iraq), Bahasa (Indonesian), Bosnian, Chinese – Traditional,
Croatian, Farsi, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Hindi, Polish,
Portuguese, Macedonian, Russian, Samoan, Serbian, Spanish,
Tagalog (Filipino), Tamil, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese
Funerals
Arabic, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese
Guide to co-operatives
Arabic, Spanish and Vietnamese
Help with credit problems
Arabic, Chinese and Vietnamese
Measuring instruments for traders
Arabic, Korean and Vietnamese
Model rules for incorporated associations
Arabic
Registering and using a business name
Arabic, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese
Renting - what you need to know
Arabic, Assyrian (Iraq), Bahasa (Indonesian), Bosnian, Chinese – Traditional,
Chinese – Simplified, Croatian, Farsi, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Khmer,
Korean, Hindi, Polish, Portuguese, Macedonian, Russian, Samoan, Serbian,
Spanish, Tagalog (Filipino), Tamil, Thai, Lao, Turkish, Vietnamese
Safe electrical goods
Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Khmer, Korean and Vietnamese
Selling safe products
Arabic, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese
Setting up an incorporated association
Arabic, Italian, Spanish and Vietnamese
Shopping, refunds and warranties*
Arabic, Chinese and Vietnamese
Trade measurement packaging
Arabic
Tutoring tips for parents
Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Hindi and Vietnamese
Using a broker to obtain credit
Chinese
Work from home scams
Arabic, Chinese, Italian and Vietnamese
* Note: copies of these items can be obtained by contacting Neneth Costa on 9619 8705.
www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
13 32 20
Think Smart update - February 2010
Page 8
Beware loose blind and curtain cords
Loose blind and curtain cords or chains - particularly those with
loops – are dangerous to young children. In the last 20 years in
Australia, 15 small children have died as a result of strangulation
after becoming entangled in loose cords, with two fatalities in
Victoria, as recently as August and October 2009.
As part of a nation-wide campaign, NSW Fair Trading is urging
parents to check and fix dangerous blind and curtain cords to
help prevent more deaths.
Take action – follow the four safety steps:
1. check all blind and curtain cords - both at home and when
you’re away on holidays. Make sure they are out of reach of
children.
2. make loose cords safe - use cleats or cut the cord loop and
attach a tassel at the end of each strand.
3. choose safe blinds and curtains - make sure new curtains
and blinds have warning labels and provide a way to secure
the cords out of reach.
4. keep children away from all cords - move furniture, cots and
beds away from cords. Never leave children alone in a room
with cords they can reach.
Loose blind and curtain cords can kill. Fix them out of reach so
kids are out of danger.
REMINDER
For more information and to order copies of a free brochure go
to www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au or call 13 32 20.
NSW Fair Trading is currently collecting feedback from
the Renting, Shopping, Money: A teaching resource on
consumer rights for migrants.
NSW Fair Trading values your contribution and opinion
of their work. If you have used this resource, Fair Trading
would like to hear your feedback and comments. Your
feedback and comments will be used when producing
any revised editions and will also assist Fair Trading in
developing information and resources for community
members from CALD communities.
NSW Fair Trading – What we do
•
•
•
•
•
Shopping, refunds and warranties
Renting, buying, selling a home
Home building and renovating
Strata and community living
Retirement villages
•
•
•
•
Business names and licences
Co-operatives and associations
Product safety
Resolving disputes
Case studies
A 3-year old was left in the house for a few minutes while
the mother was hanging out washing. The child climbed
on to a bed and played with incorrectly secured looped
cords. The child managed to place the looped cord around
her head and slipped from the bed. The mother found
the child just several minutes later. The child could not be
revived and died shortly after.
An 18-month-old child was placed in a cot to have a
sleep. The child woke up and played with looped cords
alongside the cot. The child became entangled in the cords
and eventually became tired and sat down in the cot.
The cords strangled the child and the child could not be
revived.
Please complete the feedback form at the back of the teaching
resource workbook and send it back by 31 March 2010 to:
Neneth Costa
Multicultural Officer
Education and Information Services
NSW Fair Trading
PO Box 972, ParramattaNSW 2124
Fax: 9619 8618
Tel: 9619 8705
Email: [email protected]
General enquiries
Tel: 13 32 20
Monday – Friday, 8.30am – 5.30pm
Language assistance: 13 14 50
Ring the telephone interpreting service and ask for an
interpreter in your language.
Think Smart enquiries
The Fair Trading website contains a range of translated
information in 30 languages.
Neneth Costa
Tel: 9619 8705 Fax: 9619 8618
[email protected]
© State of New South Wales through NSW Fair Trading. You may freely copy, distribute, display or download this information with some important restrictions.
See NSW Fair Trading’s copyright policy at www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au or email [email protected]
www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
13 32 20