TRISTAN MACMANUS:
The Federal Government has warned last‑minute Christmas shoppers and Boxing Day sales bargain hunters to be on alert for dodgy unsafe products, as well as scammers taking advantage of the focus on discounts. Assistant Treasurer, Stephen Jones, has the lowdown on just how shop‑smart, how to stay shop‑smart while avoiding the traps. Thank you so much for joining us today, Stephen, we really appreciate it. Is this just an obligatory warning, or are you aware of specific unsafe toys that are online and in retail stores?
STEPHEN JONES:
We want everybody to have a great Christmas, and we want to see joy on the faces of those kids on Christmas morning. We don't want that to turn to tragedy a few days later. So a few things to look out for: choking hazards and burning hazards. So the choking hazards: bits that can break off toys, particularly small infants' toys, button batteries, very dangerous, magnets; small magnets that can combine together, and kids just love to pick these things up and stick them in their mouths. Any parent of young kids will have seen them do this, so we've got to be very careful that the toys that we are buying our kids aren't an undisclosed hazard. So things that will break off, things that contain button batteries, and things that have got little magnets inside them are three known hazards. The other thing to look out for, just about everything comes with a battery these days, lithium ion batteries, if used properly, 100 per cent safe, but if you're using the wrong sort of charging device with them, they can overheat and in extreme cases cause fire. There was a case in Perth a little while ago where a house burnt down as a result of this. So I'm not trying to freak parents out, but just ensure that when they're buying their presents and when they're using them, they're buying them safely and using them safely.
JESS EVA:
We generally overlook Christmas decorations, don't we? Put them up and it's full of joy. But what Christmas decorations are unsafe?
JONES:
Look, often you've got to make sure ‑ most of them, very, very safe if they're used properly. But lights strung over Christmas trees, the kids have brought home some art that they've done from school, crepe paper and those sorts of things, hang it on the Christmas tree alongside the lamps on the lights, they can heat up and they can cause a fire hazard as well. So just be careful. A bit of common sense will go a long way with these sorts of things. Lights and paper don't mix well. Batteries that are charged with an inappropriate device, the wrong device, don't mix well. Little button batteries and kids absolutely can be very dangerous, so ensure that if they've got a toy that they are locked up with a screw, and magnets and these sorts of things as well, as I've said.
MACMANUS:
A lot of people can sometimes feel as though maybe gift cards are a safer way to go, but are they still a problem as well? I mean because they're not all legit either, are they?
JONES:
Yeah, look, at this time of year unfortunately, while 90 per cent, 95 per cent of Australians are having a great time, there's a few crooks and criminals out there who are trying to take advantage of Australians when they're busy, stressed, flat out and trying to do the right thing. So a couple of scams to look out for. If you're buying something online and something looks absolutely too good to be true, it probably is. So fake websites selling toys that don't exist, knock‑up websites, and sites that look like a legit site but are not. Just be wary of where you're logging into for these sorts of things; make sure you've got the right URL. Sometimes one letter wrong in the address, the web address, can send you to a spoof site. Other things to look out for are fake gift cards. So we've seen incidents in the lead-up to Christmas in the last couple of years where fake gift cards are being issued. So they're a few things to be wary of. Overwhelmingly people are doing the right thing, overwhelmingly, I should say, people are doing the right thing, but there are unfortunately too many Australians are falling victim to scam. It cost us about $2 billion last year, households lost about $2 million.
EVA:
And it seems to be growing. Every second you get a different thing or ‑‑
MACMANUS:
They're getting smarter, aren't they?
EVA:
Also, Boxing ‑‑
JONES:
It really is like Whac‑A‑Mole; we knock one on the head and another one jumps up, so just a message to consumers, just be a bit wary, have fun, but be a bit wary about where you're shopping.
MACMANUS:
Yeah.
EVA:
It's not like the old days. You used to always be able to tell a scam if there were spelling mistakes.
MACMANUS:
Yeah.
JONES:
Yeah, and they're getting more and more sophisticated, guys. So, look, a good rule of thumb, if something looks absolutely too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true, and this is a fake site selling fake toys or fake presents, and just be wary of it.
EVA:
What about Boxing Day? What should Boxing Day sales shoppers be aware of this year?
JONES:
I'm the guy who avoids Boxing Day like the plague. I don't want to be caught in those mad crushes, but look, the same sorts of things. We're particularly keen to ensure that kids don't get presented with gifts which are a hazard to them or a risk to them. So I've gone through the risks, the high‑level risks. Also just keen to ensure that when people are shopping online, that they're not getting ripped off, and a few basic things you can do to stay safe. If you get a text message that's got a little blue link in it saying 'click here for further information', don't do it.
EVA:
You're normally broke by that time.
JONES:
Don't give your details out online.
EVA:
You're normally broke by that time of year anyway, and a lot of using the Buy Now Pay Later ‑‑
MACMANUS:
Yeah, yeah, the Buy Now Pay Later, a lot of people use as well. But that's about to change as well, isn't it; there's going to be new legislation for that. When does that come into effect?
JONES:
Look, we're going to have a look at that next year. I'm consulting with the industry and consumer groups at the moment on this. About Buy Now Pay Later ‑ it's late in the year, I think we're all feeling it, aren't we? Look, Buy Now Pay Later, look, there's some great innovation gone on in this, there's a lot of people who have an Afterpay account or a Zip account, not a credit card because they prefer to do their shopping that way, and that's good for the overwhelming majority of clients who are using it, but some people get in way over their head, and a lot of these products are operating outside the normal regulation of credit laws. We want to sort that out, so next year we'll be introducing ‑ we're consulting at the moment, we've got a plan to reform the way these things are regulated. Why we want to do it ‑ we just want to ensure that as these new products are coming on the line, new credit products are coming online, they're safe for consumers to use and people aren't getting in over their head.
MACMANUS:
That's the help we need, yeah, I mean we can never be too safe, and we appreciate you reminding us, because it is unfortunately, or fortunately what we need; we need as many reminders as we can. Assistant Treasurer, Stephen Jones, thank you so much for joining us today, and have a happy Christmas and a happy new year.
JONES:
Thanks, you too guys, all the best.