Victoria introduces Bill to amend consumer protection legislation

The Victorian consumer protection framework will undergo further amendment with the introduction of the Consumer Affairs Legislation Amendment Bill 2013 in Parliament last week. The Bill continues the work of the Victorian State Government to review and improve provisions relating to consumer protection.

Key Features

• Improves public safety by removing the requirement that product safety instruments must comply with the Subordinate Legislation Act requirements for the making of legislative instruments. This will ensure that urgent product safety orders can be issued in a timely manner.
• Amends the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act 2012 to align the threshold value for a motor car to be treated as a 'high value' uncollected good with the threshold under the act for a motor car to be treated as a 'low value' uncollected good.
• Simplifies the process for appointing an estate agent’s representative by amending the Estate Agents Act 1980 to enable either the Commissioner of Police or an accredited CrimTrac agency to conduct the required criminal record check. This will relieve the demand on Victoria Police and allow resources to be allocated to other police areas.
• Removes an ambiguity in s 289A of the Residential Tenancies Act to make it clear that if issuing a notice to vacate, a building owner or head lessee of a rooming house must give the rooming house residents 45 days notice  (or such longer period as may be provided in the notice terminating the agreement under which the rooming house operator was occupying the building) if the owner or head lessee does not wish to take over operation of the rooming house.

The Victorian Parliament resumes sitting next week.

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