Granville MP: Fair Trading should release names of $2 shops selling dangerous pyjamas and toys
Parents are playing Russian roulette and being forced to play the role of the Fair Trading Commissioner over potentially flammable children’s pyjamas and dodgy toys, MP Julia Finn says.
Parramatta
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Merrylands children could be wearing flammable pyjamas and playing with dangerous toys because the “ridiculous” government won’t release a specific list of businesses selling potentially dangerous items seized during raids on $2 shops.
Granville state Labor MP and opposition consumer protection spokeswoman Julia Finn is pressing the government to tell parents specific names of the 40 shops targeted in a blitz for selling non-compliant sleepwear, toys and prams last month.
Most shops were at Merrylands, Villawood, Fairfield, Cabramatta and Bankstown.
She said during estimates this week Fair Trading Minister Kevin Anderson and the Fair Trading Commissioner Rose Webb were not willing to provide parents with the specific details about faulty products because Ms Webb said it was inappropriate to provide information during an ongoing inquiry.
“Every cold night these families will have children playing or doing their homework by the heater wearing pyjamas that can easily catch alight, putting all the kids in the family at risk,’’ Ms Finn said.
Ms Finn said that was despite Ms Webb encouraging parents who bought any of the non-compliant items to return to the point of purchase.
“The commissioner is telling parents to return the items if customers purchased them before they were seized in the raids, but she is refusing to tell parents which pyjamas or toys need to be returned,’’ she said.
Ms Finn also called out the minister and commissioner for not informing customers which shops were targeted during the raids.
“Parents are expected to guess whether they bought one of the items — it’s Russian roulette with western Sydney children’s safety,’’ she said.
Ms Finn said when questioned this week, the commissioner said parents should be going to the Fair Trading website, reading the Mandatory Standards for children’s toys and clothing and trying to work out whether the pyjamas their children were wearing complied not and, then if they thought they did not comply, return them to the shop and asking for a refund.
“It’s ridiculous — that’s Fair Trading’s job,’’ she said.
“That’s what the commissioner is paid to do. Since when do we expect parents to be experts in mandatory standards?”
Ms Finn said, “Who is it that Fair Trading is protecting — it’s doesn’t seem to be consumers, and it’s definitely not children in western Sydney”.
Ms Finn said it was even more difficult for parents in her electorate because of language barriers.
“We have many parents across western Sydney where English is not their first language,’’ she said.
“Do we really expect these parents to be able to work out whether the items they bought for their children in good faith are non-compliant against Fair Trading’s mandatory standard? It’s bureaucratic nonsense.”
Ms Finn said she was still awaiting a response from Mr Anderson and Ms Webb since contacting them in August “but neither have bothered to reply”.
However Ms Webb said children’s sleepwear without a label should not be worn and could be potentially dangerous.
“Some garments are so flammable they do not meet any of the four categories and cannot be given a label and must not be sold,’’ she said.
“The sleepwear found during the operation fell into this prohibited category.
“We are also reminding consumers that children’s nightwear should be form-fitting and made of material labelled ‘low fire danger’. Loose clothing that makes contact with heaters can easily become flammable.”
She said toys seized failed testing for several reasons including small parts that children could separate from toys during play or after wear and tear, potentially causing choking, suffocation or death.
A spokesman for Mr Anderson echoed the advice.
“Consumers should check whether pyjamas they have purchased have a fire hazard label on them or not,’’ he said.
“If they do not, they should return them immediately regardless of the name of the shop they were purchased from.
“Ms Finn’s obsession with the shop names has the potential to cause complacency around product labelling, it is a reckless approach to consumer safety.”
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