Dangerous toys will be removed from shelves in the lead-up to Christmas as consumer affairs agencies blitz thousands of stores, markets and online shops, said Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, David Bradbury.
Co-ordinated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the nation's consumer watchdogs have launched their annual pre-Christmas surveillance operation to find and remove unsafe toys from the shelves.
"Parents want to be sure that the toys they buy for their children at Christmas are safe and meet all of the safety requirements," said Mr Bradbury.
"Officials from the nation's consumer affairs agencies are visiting toy stores, discount shops and marketplaces to find dangerous toys and have them removed from the shelves.
"This will be the first pre-Christmas surveillance operation under the Australian Consumer Law's new national product safety regulations that came into effect from 1 January this year.
"For the first time we have nationally consistent product safety laws so that all products can be assessed against the same set of rules, regardless of which state or territory they are sold in.
"Suppliers who are found to have sold products that fail to meet the mandatory safety requirements or are banned face fines of up to $1.1 million.
"Targets of the surveillance operation include toys with unsafe levels of toxic elements like lead or small parts that could pose a choking hazard.
"During last year's blitz, more than 83,000 dodgy toys from more than 3000 suppliers were detected and pulled from the market.
"This year, consumer affairs agencies will also be targeting online stores, buying goods and testing them to make sure they meet Australia's strict safety standards.
"Parents should always take steps to ensure that the toys their children are playing with are safe. Remember to always read the warning labels, check for small parts and if you have any doubts about the safety of a product, check the national product safety website, www.productsafety.gov.au."
20 November 2011