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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-11-13 Daily Xml
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TRAVELLING CONMEN

Mrs GERAGHTY (Torrens) (15:06): My question is to the Deputy Premier.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for the Environment and the Leader of the Opposition, order, or you will leave the chamber! The member for Torrens.

Mrs GERAGHTY: Thank you. My question is to the Deputy Premier. As the Minister for Business Services and Consumers—

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

Mrs GERAGHTY: —do you mind; please—can he inform the house about what the government is doing to crack down on travelling conmen?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (15:07): Thank you, Madam Speaker, and I thank the honourable member, who has often raised the issue of travelling conmen with me. It is a very important question. As we come into the summer months, the government would like to remind all South Australians to be especially vigilant of travelling conmen—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: —and the member for Kavel, that's okay, we're not talking about you; it's all good. Anyway, we know that many travelling conmen have used state and territory borders to escape detection—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: This is serious, isn't it? State and territory consumer protection agencies are joining forces to stop the scams spreading and bring the offenders to justice. The national Stop Travelling Conmen Campaign was launched in October 2011.

Mr Marshall: Have you got an acronym?

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Can I get back to you on that? The government is concerned by the growth in travelling conmen scams. Bitumen laying, roof painting and back of truck deals for electrical goods are just some of the main services these cool conmen offer.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Householders—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.R. RAU: —should—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Look, this is important; you need to tell your constituents about this. Householders should watch out for doorknockers pressuring you to hand over cash for goods—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: —I'm getting to that; it's coming—or doorknockers claiming to represent local council or government but with no proof of ID from their employer, or requests to enter your home to check or install something. Remember, particularly now, if it looks too good to be true it probably is.

Also, the Office for Consumer and Business Services website has a video on how to identify travelling conmen—www.ocba.sa.gov.au/scams/travellingconment.html. The government would like to remind members of the public to try to note the person's name, appearance, vehicle make, colour and registration number. As a part of the national campaign, a hotline has been set up urging people to come forward with information and report suspicious people. The national hotline number is 1300 133 408, but I would also urge people who have information about suspicious people to alert local police. Social media is also playing a key role, with the creation of a Facebook page, 'Stop travelling conmen', which includes an interactive map to see where the scams are being reported and the types of scams. I encourage all members to inform their constituents of the risks posed by travelling con men.

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