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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-12-04 Daily Xml
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Christmas Advertising Standards

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (16:11): As of today there are 21 sleeps, 20 shopping days, and zero parliamentary sitting days until Christmas. I know that hundreds of thousands of South Australian children are very excited. They have lined the streets for the Christmas Pageant to see Father Christmas and they have been to visit him in the Magic Cave. But as well as visiting him, many children will write a letter to Santa, and I remember doing this when I was a kid.

For some years, Australia Post has run a wonderful service where children can write letters to Santa, and through their rapid airmail links to the North Pole postage service, all children receive a direct reply from Mr Claus himself. This is the work of just one organisation, and I know there are many others across the country getting into the Christmas spirit. On the face of it, we should be encouraged by another company which launched a new website this year. To quote its media release:

This festive season Mattel is helping to strengthen the Christmas spirit by encouraging children to create their Santa wish list online, through their new website Letter to Santa…Letter to Santa is here to keep this magic thriving through the interactive website that allows children to select their favourite toys to be compiled into a letter to Santa.

Children can log on to this website yourlettertosanta.com.au, enter their name, age and sex—you can even enter an age as small as one month old on this website—then you are taken to a page to put together your wish list for Santa.

Kids are encouraged to select their favourite toy and place it on a conveyor belt to go into the 'processing tube'. They can then pick up to 15 toys; and shock horror, the brands of Barbie, Thomas the Tank Engine, Fisher Price and Hot Wheels—all marketed by the Mattel Corporation—are the ones available for selection by kids. No non-Mattel products are available. Once you have selected your 15 toys, you are then allowed the opportunity to order your toys through an email to your parent, and the kids can select their order of preference and which of the toys is their favourite. Once the letter is sent, the child receives a message direct from Santa saying:

Ho ho ho, gosh Rudolph, my mailbox gets full so quickly. So many children's letters to take back to the North Pole. I hope we have enough space in the sleigh. Oh, what's this? I see you've written me a letter. Did you choose the toys you want the most? Oh, I think you've been a good little boy. There may be something special for you under the tree this year, right Rudolph? Let's get back to work at the North Pole, Christmas is almost here!

At the same time the child's parent is sent an email stating:

Don't be late—see what your child would most love for Christmas now! View letter now.

Not only can the parents then see the list of Mattel products which have been selected by the child, but links are provided for parents to buy them direct from retailers. All this happens on a website with only a tiny Mattel logo in the corner and no ability to select toys other than Mattel products.

This website has been heavily promoted in recent weeks by the multinational toy maker in television advertising during children's viewing hours. When you are talking about four-year-old or five-year-old children there is a corporate responsibility to take every precaution to not take advantage of those children. In this website young children are informed that only Mattel products are available from Santa's sleigh this Christmas, when we all know that the limits to Christmas presents are as broad as your imagination. I think this website is like taking a child to the Magic Cave at David Jones but then telling them that they have to select a toy out of the David Jones catalogue and there is no other option.

In my view this is clearly misleading and deceptive conduct by Mattel against these children, to suggest that Santa stocks only Mattel products. It also makes things even tougher for parents; obviously it is a tough time of year for some families, and it does nothing to teach children the true meaning of Christmas. I think it is even more galling that Mattel promotes itself as one of the most ethical companies in the world, and their own global code of conduct states, 'We know that how we achieve success is just as important as the success itself,' and, 'We may not always be able to choose the challenges we face…but we do have a choice in how we make these decisions.'

Today I have written to the ACCC asking them to investigate this misleading and deceptive website for possible breaches of the Australian Consumer Law. However, I would encourage Mattel to stop being a Christmas grinch and to voluntarily show some good Christmas spirit and either remove this sneaky website or make it completely open for children to write letters to Santa without pushing Mattel products down their throats.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Whoa, let's hear it for Ken. Member for Morialta.

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