Consumer Affairs

First enunciated by President John Kennedy on 15 March 1962, the original rights were to safety, to be informed, to choose and to be heard.

For a selected history of many of these initiatives see Smith Simon , In the Consumer Interest: A Selected History of Consumer Affairs in Australia 1945–2000 (2000).

See further <www.consumer.gov.au>

Interestingly, John Howard's first ministerial appointment was as Minister for Business and Consumer Affairs in the 1975 Fraser Government. Similarly, the first shadow portfolio of Peter Costello was as Shadow Minister for Corporate Law Reform and Consumer Affairs 1990–1992.

Currently held by Alan Griffin MHR.

This was a 1987 recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Trade and National Management. See AGPS Report to the Constitutional Commission, 1987, Canberra.

Financial System Inquiry Final Report, AGPS (1997) (Chairman: Stan Wallis).

Wallis recommended (recommendation 6) that the Code be independently reviewed for its cost effectiveness and uniformity after it had operated for two years. This has not happened, n 7, 33.

Consumer Credit Administration Amendment (Finance Brokers) Act 2002 (NSW).

See above, n 1 and also Wood J , ‘Government Involvement in Consumer Affairs’, in Smith Simon (ed), In the Consumer Interest: A Selected History of Consumer Affairs in Australia 1945–2000 (2000) 29.

This includes standards for such diverse goods as baby walkers; balloon blowing kits; disposable cigarette lighters; ramps for motor vehicles and toys for children under three.

Australian National Audit Office, Risk Management by Commonwealth Consumer Product Safety Regulators, Report No 12, (1995).

Australian National Audit Office, above, n 12.

See generally <www.europa.eu.int/comm/consumers/cons_safe/prod_safe/gpsd/index_en.htm>.

In Australia data collection is very under resourced. An existing agency is the Research Injury Data Centre based at Flinders University. See further <http://www.nisu.flinders.edu.au/index.php>.

See generally <http://www.cpsc.gov/sec15.html>.

For a brief description of the 1975 proposal see Smith Simon , ‘General Insurance: The Unfurling of the Umbrella of Protection’ in Smith Simon , In the Consumer Interest: A Selected History of Consumer Affairs in Australia 1945–2000 (2000) 66.

See <http://www.pc.gov.au.inquiry/workerscomp/index.html>.

See above n 2 esp Condliffe P. , ‘The Rise of Alternative Dispute Resolution’ 149.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, ACCC Annual Report 2001–2002 (2002) 29.

Queensland Government, Department of Tourism, Racing and Fair Trading Annual Report 2001–2002 (2002) 21.