"MADE IN AUSTRALIA" LABELLING ON IMPORTED PRODUCTS
Mr YABSLEY: I address my question without notice to the Minister for Consumer Affairs. In view of reported complaints by consumers about the sale of imported goods passed off as made in Australia, what action is the department taking to crack down on this trading?
Mrs CHIKAROVSKI: I thank the honourable member for his question and his continuing interest in consumer affairs. The question of country of origin labelling and "Made in Australia" is of increasing concern to both this Government and, now apparently, the Federal Government. In recent weeks the Commonwealth has set up two working parties to look at how the Commonwealth can ensure that Australian consumers are given adequate information about the products they purchase, including accurate and
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easily accessible information about the country of origin of the products. One group will be led by the Trade Practices Commission and the other will be led by the Australian Customs Service. My department is co-operating with both these working groups. The Federal action was, of course, taken after my decision nearly two months ago to establish in New South Wales a country of origin task force. That task force was the result of inspections earlier in the year of souvenir shops in the metropolitan area.
Those inspections revealed some disturbing information. The level of compliance with country of labelling requirements was abysmal. Goods were found to have either misleading labels or, in some cases, no labels at all. This is an important issue because it affects both consumers and legitimate traders, especially in a highly lucrative and competitive industry such as the tourist trade. I am pleased to announce that the task force has been very successful. Five traders in the metropolitan area are now facing prosecution before New South Wales courts for allegedly failing to attach country of origin labels. I am advised by my department that prosecutions are also expected against another three traders. In recent weeks the task force has visited markets in the metropolitan area and will continue to do so over the next few weeks as we approach the busy Christmas shopping period. Overall the task force is concerned with compliance.
My department recognises the importance of information in ensuring compliance and it will continue to educate traders and consumers about their rights and obligations. But this Government will not tolerate breaches of the country of origin regulations. We will take action against those operators who seek to make a quick profit to the detriment of both consumers and legitimate traders. Accurate and accessible labelling is a basic consumer right and one I will ensure is protected. I should like to take this opportunity to congratulate the members of the task force for the outstanding work they have done and to commend the department for continuing to ensure that fair trading is the ultimate obligation and right in New South Wales.