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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-09-08 Daily Xml
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TRADE MEASUREMENT INSPECTIONS

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (15:29): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Consumer Affairs a question about recent trade measurement inspections in the Riverland.

Leave granted.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Trade measurement inspectors from the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs periodically check businesses' measuring instruments so as to ensure their measurements for consumers and traders alike are accurate. Will the minister advise the council about recent actions taken to ensure that weights and measures used by retailers in the Riverland are accurate?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy) (15:25): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. Last week trade measurement inspectors from the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs visited 50 small traders in the Riverland region to check that scales and other measuring instruments being used were accurate.

The inspections focused on places like pharmacies, jewellers, delis, and automotive and hardware retailers. I am disappointed to report to the council that very few of them passed without any fault. Hardware and automotive stores performed the worst, with over 80 per cent using incorrect length measures and, in some cases, none at all.

Inspectors found some traders relying on unapproved measuring instruments with many traders claiming to be unaware of their responsibilities under the trade measurement laws. Traders need to be aware that measuring instruments should only be obtained from organisations holding a licence issued by a trade measurement authority. Measuring instruments purchased through the Internet or from overseas are not necessarily guaranteed as approved for trade. Traders, regardless of their size or location, need to be aware of and comply with trade measurement laws.

Traders who were found to be in breach of the law were issued with warning notices and provided with information sheets about their responsibilities. Follow-up checks will be carried out and, if errors are found again, traders risk a penalty of up to $20,000 under the Trade Measurement Act 1993. This government is committed to exercising the powers granted to it under trade measurement laws to ensure that the South Australian community, as well as visitors from interstate and overseas, has full confidence that they will get what they pay for and, in fact, that they get their full measure.

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