Consumer Protection in Australia
The situation with the sale of sunglasses that do not protect against UV rays should be interpreted as a violation of consumer rights, requiring regulation in accordance with the law. This product does not meet basic buyer and user information standards. Wizard does not warn of the additional danger of wearing such glasses in the sun. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission specifies that it is a gross violation to supply goods that do not meet information security standards. These products are prohibited under the ACCC code because they have the potential to cause injury or illness. In accordance with the Australian legal system, Funlandia must immediately remove this product from the shelves or provide it with information about the potential risks of wearing in the open sun.
The second case related to deceiving employees into buying extremely expensive pre-working courses relates to the section of protection against scams. The Commission indicates that it is fully aware of how deceptions of this kind can have a catastrophic effect on people’s lives, and here this danger is obvious. The Wizard clearly takes advantage of people who are less able to defend their rights, as these are migrants who do not know the language well. Even worse is that they are initially in an uncomfortable financial situation, which puts their future at real risk. ACCC has developed a Scamwatch resource to help identify and report a scam. In fact, employers offer employees a business opportunity, that is, an investment in their future, which turns out to be illegal extortion of money. Payment for the training course is specifically listed as a money laundering method in the “Little Black Book of Scams” specially developed by the ACCC. Under the Companies Act, 2013, and Section 447, fraud is defined as dishonest acquisition and the corresponding penalty is a maximum of two years in prison. In the event of a denunciation of a company on the Scamwatch website, the fact of a scam will be officially proven, so the company must immediately stop this activity.