- Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation
Victorians should take care to make sure they are safe from scary products this Halloween with inspectors from Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) removing almost 12,000 unsafe products from the shelves this year.
As Halloween continues to gain popularity in Australia, new products are constantly introduced to our shelves, including toys and cosmetic items.
Minister for Consumer Affairs Victoria Marlene Kairouz said the safety of Victorians is paramount and retailers must ensure that the products they are selling meet mandatory safety and information standards.
Although most stores are abiding by the law, CAV inspections identified over 270 product lines failing to comply with standards. The non-compliant items included:
- fake blood
- vampire fangs
- bow and arrow sets
- adhesive scar and burn prosthetics.
CAV inspectors have already issued $5000 infringements to three traders leading up to Halloween and is currently assessing possible enforcement action against the other retailers and wholesalers.
Under the Australian Consumer Law, businesses can face up to $10 million or more in fines for selling products that fail to comply with mandatory standards.
CAV inspectors are constantly monitoring Victorian wholesalers and retailers to ensure products available for sale are safe and fit for purpose.
Mandatory safety standards are in place for a range of product categories, which specify minimum requirements that products must meet before they are supplied.
Anyone with concerns about product safety can contact CAV on 1300 55 81 81 or visit www.consumer.vic.gov.au.
A list of recalled and banned products can also be viewed on www.productsafety.gov.au.
As noted by Minister for Consumer Affairs Marlene Kairouz
“Unsafe items can cause severe injuries to consumers, which is why inspectors are working hard to ensure Halloween remains fun for all Victorians.”
“We take a zero-tolerance approach when we find unsafe products, with inspectors making sure enforcement action for selling these products is one of our top priorities.”
“Consumer Affairs will continue to take product safety seriously and non-compliant or dangerous products will continue to be removed from shelves.”
